The Mitchell Incident
by UnholyHelbig
Summary: The legend of the first vampire has been traced all the way back to Bram Stoker's Dracula; a tale filled with vengeance and love as one girl fights to choose between good and evil. But what happens when evil is the only choice? After taking a night job at the towns local cemetery, Chloe Beale must test her knowledge when it comes to vampires, and where exactly they first original
1. Chapter 1

**The Edge** of Chloe's hand rested against a metal desk, one that seemed to grow in temperature every passing second. The scent of burnt coffee and toner filled her lungs with each breath that she dared to pull into her lungs.

The girl regretted throwing on a blazer for an interview of this nature; one where she sat stranded on an old creaky chair that could give under her weight at any moment. But she had been taught to be professional- to keep her back straight and eye contact strong, even if sweat started to collect at her collarbone and soak through the fabric of her shirt.

The man across from her had a deep look of content on his face, a large greying mustache took up most of his upper lip, but his eyes were kind, Chloe decided. They were aged like he had seen twice as much as his age allowed. His skin was tan, hair a deep pitch as if it had been dyed more than enough times to cause the color to set.

"This is a very extensive resume, Miss?"

"Beale," the ginger pulled herself away from her thoughts quickly "Chole Beale."

The man let out a small huff of air. He had a thick southern accent, unlike most people in this area. It was almost comforting, seeing him lean forward with a sigh as he placed the paper back on the crowded desk. The girl got a good look at his hands- scraped and caked in dirt.

"Well, Chole" He spoke gruffly "You're more than qualified for a position here. But I don't see why you would want one."

The redhead drew in a breath, a sharp one that burned her throat. She almost forgot about the thick stench that penetrated every inch of the small building at the edge of the property. The man had a right to ask a question like that- such a put together girl was never seen applying for a job at a cemetery. Not one at the edge of town away from all the nightlife.

"I uh," She tried to take up most of the dead air between them. "It works with my schedule. I'm very serious about school, and no one else would take me because of that."

He lifted his chin slightly, his eyes curious. "The night position is fairly easy if you would like to try your hand at it. It's quiet, though, I must warn you."

A certain light moved to Chole's eyes. One that she hadn't had after the many calls informing her that it 'just wouldn't work out'. This was a college town, one where all the acceptable barista jobs and waiter positions had been filled the second the building had been established. This was her last hope as her student loans continued to gain interest.

"Yeah," Chole shook her head quickly "Yes, I'm very interested."

"Good," the man stood, the whole entire chair creaking like it had been under such a strain. He was taller than Chole though, his dirty old flannel rested over a white tinted shirt. A yellowed ring of sweat moved against his collar, but he didn't seem to mind. The younger girl stood with him, still having to peer up at him. "You start tonight, I have a few t-shirts in the back in case you don't want to get that one there dirty. But you'll figure out what works best for you."

The ginger nodded quickly, not expecting to be thrown into the business full force. There wasn't much room to misstep here, she wanted to keep good company with the only other person she had seen her whole entire time here. Quite literally with the office being so small and cramped.

She followed the man, Mr. Gallagher, out into the sunny edges of the lot. There was a small little building that she had been waiting in, but other than that it seemed to be a long stretch of deep colored grass. It was mowed and trimmed to pristine condition- the Irish setting being broken apart by deep marble stones. Chole couldn't tell how old they were, but limestone was beginning to rot on some of the crooked slabs.

"This place has been in my family for as long as I can remember." Gallagher huffed "My own father started out as a gravedigger and fell in love with the peacefulness of the place."

Chole nodded, glancing around as she tried her hardest not to step near any of the graves. She was always taught that that was disrespectful- not as bad as dancing and throwing a party, but still bad. The man in front of her didn't seem to care where his footfalls landed.

The two of them came upon a medium sized shed, the deep orange light from the sun began to fade behind nearby tree's, a large wrought iron fence created odd lined shadows against now blue grass. He was messing with his keys as he spoke. "You have to be here at seven sharp, every night that you're needed. You'll get an email letting you know if you are."

"Okay," Chole nodded, trying to take in all the information.

Gallagher pulled open the dusty shed, the creaking of the door making the young adult cringe against the sound. He wasn't bothered though, his large hand pulling the small string that connected to a small bulb. It cast a deep golden haze against shelves filled with different tools and lockboxes. A large red mower was resting in the center of the room, half covered by a deep blue tarp.

"You leave when you finish." The man turned to face the girl "It could be one grave, or it could be five. But it's rarely five."

He grasped a pair of deep black leather gloves and passed them Chole's way, she eyed them for a few seconds before taking a hold of the shovel that he thrust her way. It was heavier than she expected, but she didn't let it show. The man started to dig around one of the shelves as Chole watched carefully.

"If there are more than five, then expect some company. If not, then you better get used to the quiet."

Gallagher turned to face her for a few seconds, placing a leathered holster in her hands. This was a shock to her, her father used to place on of these on the end table whenever he got home from a long day at the office. It was undeniable that this thing could pack some serious heat. Chole didn't have a gun license, nor did she think she would need one for a job like this.

"There here will keep you safe." The man held up a taser, it's end was yellowed, a few red buttons interrupting the pitch plastic. "Chances are you won't need to use it. But if you ever have to pull this trigger the next thing you do is call me. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Chloe choked out, trying her best to swallow the anxiety "So it'll just be me then?"

"It'll just be you." He tossed her the keys to the shed, she struggled to shift everything to the other hand as she grasped the cold metal. It was fairly easy, the spring heat biting at the edge of her neck as Gallagher walked past her, "Good Luck Beale."

She drew in a sharp breath as she watched him walk away. Luck? She was going to need a little more than that.


	2. Chapter 2

The tip of the iron shovel moved past the dirt, it's potent scent filling Chloe's lungs, clawing at her throat as she struggled to shift one more load over her shoulder. The pristine blue blazer that she wore around her shoulders for the interview stayed around her waist now, the base tickling behind her knees.

A sharp ache ran along her arm and to her neck, she would need drugs, and a lot of them, to get a few hours of sleep in before her first class at twelve. Barden University didn't take well to more than one absence, and she had already wasted the first one on a revival tour for ABBA. They weren't even the real thing, just mimics.

She had fun that night, though. Aubrey had forced the ginger out of her comfort zone, getting a few alcoholic beverages in her before she could really enjoy herself. Back then, it wasn't too hard pulling an all-nighter. Now, as she stood shoulder deep in a grave, she could barely keep her eyes open.

The plot had been clearly marked, the girl finally hitting the height that she needed to. She let out a small grunt as she hauled the shovel over the side, pressing her fingertips into soft soil as she tried to get a foothold on the little ledge she carved out of the soil.

It was easy enough to hoist herself up, her back pressing against moist grass as she stared up at the starry night sky. Her clothes and hands were wrecked, her whole body throbbing. Part of her just wanted to lay there until daybreak, but it was only three am, eight hours of hard labor and she was craving a hot shower.

Chloe breathed out, slowly sitting up as she adjusted the holster around her shoulders. She didn't' see a point to it really. The town was tiny, and grave robbers didn't seem to want to dig through feet of sod to get to a coffin full of cheap jewelry. She wasn't one to judge though, her main focus on wandering back to a shed that she only saw once.

Her boots crunched against dry grass, shoulders slumped as she held the brass keys between her lips. It tasted like blood- the coppery edge thick and strong against her tongue. The taste was almost overwhelming, the one time she was on the wrong side of a punch coming back to her mind. It was late enough for the air to be chilly, her nose running as she propped the shovel up against the side of the tin shed.

"Fuck," Chloe mumbled under her breath as she struggled with the keys, her fingers numb and blistered. A thick line of crimson was dripping from a blister that formed on the edge of her palm. One that she had ignored until now. It stung. She peeled the door open before shoving the equipment back in its place, the leather gloves finally hung up.

The young girl drew in a sharp gasp as a loud and unforgiving bang rapped against the side of her skull. It made her mouth instantly dry, her breath catching roughly in her throat as she instinctively reached for the soft grip of the taser. "Great, one night and I'm already tripping."

She shook her head to herself, her heart still pounding against the inside of her wrist. It was probably a car backfiring; the road was closed and enough people took to the midnight streets to burn some rubber. She was usually behind safe walls, though. Not in the middle of a moonlit graveyard.

Regardless, she knew she had to swallow her pride, bite down roughly on the fear that arose against the back of her mind. There was more at stake here than just her safety. She needed this job, and something told her that Gallagher wasn't much for second chances.

Chloe squared her shoulders, hearing another non-coincidental bang run through the near-empty lot. She pulled the taser from the holder, pressing the small button on the side of the weapon. It worked like a drill. To the left was on, to the right was off. If the button was stagnant in the middle, then it was locked.

She had never been tasered before, but she had seen videos: People would laugh at the way large men and woman would freeze up and drop to their knees. It was all comical until you really thought about how much electricity one of these things carried.

The girl walked slowly, ducking behind large headstones as the fear of stepping on a grave disrespectfully left her mind. She would end up under the stone slab if she wasn't careful enough- her breath shallow and rushed as she reached a large oak tree that was just beginning to change colors with the creeping seasons.

Bark scraped against her bare arms as she peaked around the ridge. There wasn't much light- a dull blue glow casting along the figure of a shorter woman. She held her own shovel, hands resting on her hips as she stared down a grave that was freshly dug. The mountain of soil and mud that stood to her side was a testament to her work. The golden beam of a flashlight sweat across the names written on the stones.

She looked too young to be out for cash but too old to have wandered into the yard without supervision. A girl that Chloe recognized. Of course, she couldn't quite tell with the darkness that shrouded both of them, her breath still shallow.

The beam of light suddenly flipped away from the names carved and against the tree that Chloe held her ground behind. There was no way that the girl could have heard her- not when she barely made a sound. Her heartbeat was echoing in her eardrums as she quietly gasped and pressed the nave of her back against the oak. The taser was strung across her chest, finger resting easily on the trigger. She closed her eyes, sucking in a breath. It was like a horror movie, she was too afraid to move against the current- to see if whoever that stranger was had darker plans in store.

Icy fingers were quick to wrap around Chloe's wrist, the grip tight- almost crushing as the red-head blindly aimed the weapon and pulled the trigger. A loud and eminent cracking filled the air, even with closed eyes, Chloe could see the flashing light the taser provided. The grasp on her was quickly released as a loud thump filled the college students ears.

"Ow! Oh my God" The rough voice of another caused Chloe to take a stumbling leap back as the stranger laid face up on the ground. Her hand was cupped over her ribs, the other outstretched above her as she let out a loud moan. "You fucking tasered me, dude?"

"Wh-Who are you?" Chloe asked, voice breaking under the pressure. "What are you doing here?"

Despite being on the ground, the stranger gave a small chuckle and smile. She was pale, her lips a deep shade of pink against fair skin and deep brown hair. She was dressed in all black, a leather jacket protecting against the mercy of the breeze.

"One question at a time, Red." She grumbled, outreaching a hand towards the shocked girl.

Chloe almost retracted into herself, her whole entire body frozen in a type of emotion that she couldn't really describe. It was odd, the pull that moved past her mind. She stared thoughtfully at the girl who was expecting a hand up.

The stranger let out a small groan before hoisting herself up, her hand pressing against a raw mark on her shoulder. She must have hit it on the way down, her deep coffee eyes reflecting discontent as the dark clouds cleared from an already full moon. It shaded her features, making her look darker in an odd way.

"I'm not afraid to use this. Who the fuck are you?" She Chole hissed again, tightening her grip on the gun as she raised it up again.

The mysterious figure stared at her, one eyebrow raised as she cocked her head to the side. A few seconds passed, the deep yellow beams of headlights sweeping across the length of the yard. The sound of tires against gravel, a moment of relief passed through the taller girl, only to be washed away as the sound of an engine slowly drifted away.

"This?" The girl cracked a dazzling smile, her hand quickly wrapping around the taser as she pulled it from Chloe's sweat-filled palm easily. She threw it over her shoulder as she stepped closer, trusting that the weapon would shatter into a million pieces when it came in contact with rounded cement or marble.

"Shit," Chloe mumbled.

The girl was close to her now, shorter, but intimidating. She held her stance strong, the scent of fresh leather and soil coated Chloe's lungs with its potent aroma. It mixed with vanilla, pomegranate maybe. She couldn't tell. Her own breath was shaking enough to put the metallic undertones aside.

"Oh, watch the language Red." She smirked, "I'm impartial to it, but you never know who's listening."

"We're the only ones here."

"Mm, Beca." She lifted her chin slightly. "Beca Mitchell."

"What?" Chloe knit her eyebrows together, fear lapping at the back of her neck.

"My name," She leaned forward. "It's Beca Mitchell, and you look way too young to call yourself a gravedigger."


	3. Chapter 3

Her eyes were frozen over, like frost that quickly spread over a crystal windshield. The night had grown cold and ashen, Chloe's breath rapid as she blinked away from the darkness that spread like wildfire. The only warm thing about this night.

Chloe's hand rested lazily on her stomach, moving up and down with every movement she dared to take. The pain that moved past her body was unimaginable. Excruciating to the point of no return. Pins and needles danced across joints as she clenched her eyes shut.

"Fuck," The red-head struggled to grasp her surroundings. It was almost impossible. A stiffness was eminent in her neck- sore and undeniable. She propped herself up on her elbow, glancing around as the sun started to rise in a milky sky. The graveyard. She was still here.

Her fingers found their way to the syrupy liquid that wicked into the collar of her shirt, it was dried and scabbed over a painful mark that she couldn't quite place. Everything felt so hazy. She heard a noise, met a girl. Then nothing. There was nothing left of her memory to suggest why she would be laying in the darkest part of the graveyard after the first night on the job.

A buzz filled the air. Her phone, it was still wedged in her pocket. Why she didn't' call the police last night escaped her. She was in a haze. She was still in that haze. A low fog had rumbled from the cooling ground as the sun began to warm up the morning air. She fished in her jeans until she cringed away from the bright neon screen. Aubrey. She had called at least fifteen times.

Sixteen counting this one.

"Hello?" Chloe was shocked at the gruffness of her own voice.

"Chloe?" Aubrey spoke smoothly, worry laced within her words as the college student begrudgingly pulled herself up from the ground. She had to get to her car. Get to a shower and a nice glass of water that would quench the undeniable thirst that followed suit. She was loud. Too damn loud. "Where the hell are you? You went to that interview, and then nothing."

"Sorry," The red-head scratched the back of her neck, careful not to catch the wound that she hadn't gotten a good look at yet. "I must have fallen asleep. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Fallen asleep?" her friend scoffed. Chloe could just imagine the pensive gaze on the woman's face. She was probably up pacing the small length of their dorm room half the night. "In a cemetery?"

"The grass was comfy." She squeaked, trying to convince herself more than anything. "I'll be home soon, just don't… don't freak out okay?"

"Why would I?" Aubrey was calm. An unnerving calm. "Not like my roommate decided to vanish in the middle of the night after a meeting with the town recluse."

"Bye, Aubrey." Chloe deadpanned, shaking her head as she shut off her phone. The light was too damaging. It made her want to shield her eyes and crawl under the blankets. Her car looked like the nicest thing she had seen for a long while. The girl settling into the front seat as she turned the keys in the ignition.

Fuck. That engine was roaring.

Chloe gritted her teeth, shaking her head as she used her shaky grasp to put the vehicle in drive. Sensory overload was an understatement at this point. Her lips were chapped and mouth tasting of iron.

Her thoughts wandered as she drove down the nearly empty streets of the small college town. The bakery lights flooded the street in a golden pattern as she passed- but the rest of the area was desolate. Empty and quiet. Just like the girl she had met last night. She was odd- so odd that she was alluring. Her words were like knives, but the sharp edge had been shaved down to nothing more than a smooth surface. A kitten with bite.

She tapped her fingers nervously on the steering wheel, drawing in a sharp breath as she pulled into the parking space in front her dorm. The glass was tinted, a few students who were foolish enough to take early morning classes half-heartedly made their way to lecture. She locked the door behind her, pulling out her badge to flash it to the woman who always sat behind the desk.

"Whoa, Miss Beale" Stacie spoke with care as she raised herself from her chair. It was squeaky, the wheels in good need of a replacement or a can of oil. She came out from behind the desk. She looked tired herself, dark hair falling into an even darker gaze. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She lied through her teeth, not knowing the state that she was in. "Really, it was some Halloween party. An idiot with some fake blood."

"It's November." Stacie lifted a brow, "Do you need me to call someone?"

"No," She assured her, a little hurriedly "No, it was one of those themed raves. Nothing to worry about. I promise."

The security guard wasn't too convinced. She waved the girl away, regardless. It was nearing the end of her shift and the Red-head clearly was in need of a shower and a good rest. She lowered herself back into her seat as she shook her head. Chloe made her way to the dorm room at the end of the hall. It was tiny and smelled of floral candles. This morning, it was overwhelming, though.

She didn't bother with the key on the chain, instead, she pushed her way in, knowing that Aubrey would leave in unlocked- just waiting for her to come in. The blonde was curled up on her twin bed- clearly stressed enough to not sleep a wink the night before either. She stirred at the sound of the closing door.

"Chlo?" She sniffed, rubbing her eye, "Oh my god, Chloe."

She was standing now, the red-head dropping her leather bag by the door as she let her sore shoulders slump. "That job is no joke." She defended, voice exhausted.

Aubrey lifted her chin slightly, deep grey eyes peering into crystal ones. She placed her cold grasp under her friend's chin, shifting her head to the side slightly to get a look at the bloody mess that ravished her shoulder. "You're not going back there."

Chloe let out a small noise that was a mix between a groan and a growl. She started to busy herself with finding a pair of clean sweatpants and a t-shirt. Everything had the scent of gain attached to it. It was almost sickening. She needed a shower, and fast. Her Russian Lit class wouldn't wait for her to get presentable.

"I have to Bree," She finally spoke as she held the cold fabric between her fingertips. "There's no way I can afford another year at Barden on just a scholarship."

Her blonde friend was silent. She was lucky enough to have a trust fund saved up. She was slowly working off that- not worrying herself with how to pay for another semester at a private boarding school. Her father was a meticulous man who cared about planning. Unlike Chloe's mother who barely scraped by when she was growing up. Money was few and far between in the Beale house.

She dropped it, shaking her head as she flopped back down onto her mattress. Her eyes were dark and sunken in. In an odd way, Chloe knew that her friend worried more about her safety than she did. Everything was still so mixed up in her memory. The Twenty-year-old stared for a few seconds before reaching for the handle of the door.

Chloe was quiet as she padded down the hallway towards the shared showers. At first, they made her uncomfortable. The thought of flashing an unsuspecting girl was enough to make heat rise to her cheeks and burn brightly. Now it was almost normal to see a towel slip or a woman who just didn't' give a damn about who was watching.

Part of her didn't' want to look in the mirror. Her appearance was jarring, not only to her overprotective roommate but to a security guard that would never bat an eye towards intoxicated students stumbling back to their rooms. It made her nerves taught. They bubbled up against her stomach as she settled into a small stall that the bathroom had to offer.

She closed the small shower curtain, it's plastic rings scraping against the metal bar. She gritted her teeth, cringing away from the rough sound. There was a small mirror tacked to the small area that she set her towel and clothes. It was chipped at the edge, bleeding into a sickly green.

Chloe took a steadying breath as she finally caught a glimpse of her reflecting in the thin glass. She stared directly into her eyes. The once blue was dull and pained. She was nervous. She shouldn't be, though, right? It was her, just a different version of her. She had spent a night in a graveyard, that was enough to alter anyone's perception.

Her skin was pale, ashen, just like the fog that rolled through the protruding headstones. Chloe let out a slight gasp as she turned her head painfully to the side- her messy ginger hair falling from a hair-tie that was barely holding itself together.

 **The blood that** so contrasted against her skin was strong and slowly drying to a copper brown. This was one of her favorite shirts- she regretted wearing it to the interview. Wearing it to dig a giant hole in the ground.

The one thing Chloe couldn't' tell was how bad the wound was. She was so muddy- so sore, that nothing really seemed to matter. She didn't want to go to the emergency room. Refused. There was no way she could afford to miss another round of classes just for a small cut.

Instead, she let out a small sigh as the flicked on the water, waiting patiently as a thick steam filled the small room. She would be okay. It would all be okay. It had to be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Her mind wondered** pensively as she ran her thumb over the plastic edge of her pen. She was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from clicking it again. She couldn't afford one more sideways glance from the snobby guy sitting in front of her. He was one of those hipster types. The button-down shirt he sported was way too pressed and self-conscious for him to wear to an early lecture.

Chloe let out a small breath as she shifted in her seat. The sweatshirt she wore covered up the nasty cut that was spread across the edge of her neck and down her shoulder. It was weird. The laceration moved almost like puncture wounds- not a straight shot from a fall of a scape.

It burned now- itching like a bug bite. She inadvertently scratched at it through the black fabric that was covering her torso. It was hot in the room, or at least to her it was. Everyone else was quickly pulling their sleeves down to their wrists to keep distractions to a minimum. Weird.

"Professor Aurum is pretty boring, huh?" The voice made Chloe's already numb fingers grow cold. She clicked the pen- that same boy with the sharp green eyes shooting her a childish scowl.

"What are you doing here?" She asked harshly, not even bothering to look to her left. She sat at the back of the auditorium for the pure solidarity of it all- but now that she was in a shaded corner of a large room, she regretted the choice.

"I'm not allowed to show any interest in Greek Mythology?" Beca's voice raised in the form of a question.

"You're not enrolled in this class.' Chloe tried her hand at a bit of banter. It was clear this girl wouldn't lose interest in being a pain in her ass anytime soon.

"I am now," She spoke softly, settling into the auditorium seat that creaked under her weight. She smelled so thickly of cinnamon. It made a headache edge towards Chloe's temple as she clenched her eyes shut and leaned her head back. The light from the projector was deadly. She didn't even question why the brunette had picked up a class halfway through a term.

She was quiet as the woman in front of the room droning on. She was young- fresh out of college herself. Not many people wanted to dive into the world of sex-driven Gods. She got the job easy enough and ha a slack way of teaching that Chloe appreciated.

Her stalker shifted her position, moving closer to Chloe. Again, with that spice riddled scent of her. She had never taken that much notice to the smell things carried- but now it seemed to be the only thing that mattered. She squeezed her eyes tighter.

"Oh, you're feeling it, aren't you?" Beca asked, a hint of a smile in her words.

She finally gave her attention to the girl. Sitting up straighter than she was a few moments ago. The muddy blue gaze stared back at her, curious and expecting some type of answer. "Feeling what?"

"Miss Beale," Professor Aurum's voice cut through the audience. The whole group of half-interested college kids turned around in their seats to get a good luck at the girl who was trying her best to stay hidden. "Do you have an answer for me?"

The woman pushed her hand against the top of the desk, the spotlight that was on her looed golden against grey eyes. She had mousy brown hair and deep painted lips. They were red like an apple a kid would produce the week before finals.

"Can you repeat the question?" She asked, not confidence in her voice.

Aurum let out a small breath, knowing the girl wasn't paying much attention to the lesson at hand. "What three Olympians divided the regions?"

Three. Right, they had gone over this before. The red-head knew they had, it was sometime last week. She had taken care to get those names in her notes if nothing else. She cleared her throat, a nervous habit. "Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon."

Beca beamed next to her. "Smart and pretty, you're just the whole package, aren't you Chloe?"

The ginger ignored her as the professor just nodded in surprise. Even without paying attention the answer should have been recalled quickly, and it was. She didn't' have any room to object further, and instead went into the assignments due before their next meeting.

The lights raised against the once dark space as the class dismissed. Chloe had never been more grateful to get out of a room before. She caught the edged stare of her instructor but didn't say anything as she tugged the edge of the fabric over the purple bruise of her shoulder. Beca seemed to cock her head at the woman herself, earning a pensive glare before standing from her seat and following Chloe out.

Her phone buzzed as she exited the building into the sunny courtyard, she cringed away as she pulled her hood up, fishing her cell out of her back pocket. Beca stopped with her, crossing her arms over her black t-shirted chest. She cleaned up nicely from last night- her hair flowing over her shoulder as she cockily watched her new friend.

"That your pal Gallagher?" There was a bit of jealously lacing her voice. Something Chloe cocked her own brow at.

"Yeah, actually." She shook her head as she shoved her phone away. She was annoyed- there was no reason for her to give Beca the time of day. Nothing stopping her from storming off from an undone stranger. "Thankfully no one dropped dead today."

"That's a very optimistic way to look at things." Beca pointed out as the red-head scoffed and started to walk towards her dorm. It took a few seconds of the younger girl staring after her longingly before she followed.

"Listen, what the hell is your problem?" Chloe stopped suddenly, turning quickly on her heel. It made her feel sick to her stomach. This was almost worse than a hangover. "I tasered you last night and you still can't take a damn hint?"

Beca laughed lightly, shoving her hands into her pockets as she got a good look at the girl in front of her. She was in rough shape. Her eyes were sunken in, a dull blue instead of the vibrant ones she remembered from last night. Beca felt a twinge of guilt- one she would never let Chloe catch wind of.

"You're hungry," Beca stated instead.

"No, no I'm really not." She shoved past the girl "I'm sick to my stomach, so if you'll excuse me."

She was shocked as a cold grasp wrapped itself around her wrist. It was electrifying. Such a slight touch sent chills up her arm as she stifled a shudder. It was the same allure that kept her in the graveyard last night. The same type of feeling that rooted her in her spot now. She breathed in.

"Mm, you're not craving a burger Chloe," she continued as the girl turned back to face her slowly. "Maybe one that's a little underdone."

"You're fucking insane." Chloe yanked her hand away, gasping as she hit the warmth of someone who was behind her. Miss Aurum. Papers were scattered across the ground, Chloe's natural instinct kicking in as she knelt down and hastily started to scoop them up. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Chloe, no harm done." She spoke smoothly, her hair falling into her eyes as she started to pick up papers herself. The two of them shared a few moments of silence as the college student and young teacher stood. She handed over the term papers she had collected, making sure not to look at any of the red markings that littered the paragraphs. "Thank you,"

"No problem," She gave a weak smile as she took a step back, fully expecting to run into Beca. Instead, there was nothing, the darker woman had vanished completely. So that was the trick? Talk to other people instead of running.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time." The woman surprised her.

"Sure, of course," She spoke- not really knowing what this was about. Attendance, or maybe a missed assignment a while back. She was quite frankly still shocked that the woman knew her name, most professors didn't' even bother. The students were just paychecks to them. But Aurum was different.

The woman motioned for her to follow her into one of the nearby buildings. It was brick and mortar, the large stone columns something Chloe never got a good look at. She stayed far away from the offices- but the truth was, they looked just like normal ones. It was the same in the city. A few teachers glanced up from their works as the two of them walked by.

"I'm sorry to pull you away from your life like this," She mumbled, shifting her bag in her grasp as she shuffled with her keys. She opened her office door- against the scent was overstimulating. "I just noticed your new… friend?"

Her office was sleek, a large painting of the God's hung against the drywall. There were a few statues near a huge mahogany bookshelf. It was lined with gold and red, different volumes of Latin lined every compartment.

"My new?" Chloe trailed off slightly as she wracked her mind "Oh, Beca. No, she's not my friend. I barely even know her."

Miss Aurum nodded slightly, stepping to the other side of her desk as she lowered herself into the leather chair. "Please, sit."

"Thank you," Chloe spoke softly. She was admittedly relieved to have a place to sit. She was tired, exhausted like the time she got the stomach flu after the county fair. Her stomach was bubbling. "I know she just transferred in…"

"She did, I saw her on my roster just this morning." The woman nodded, "Are you feeling okay, Miss Beale?"

She went back to using the last name again. It made Chloe's anxiety spike again. "No, but I'm sure it's just a cold. If this is because of showing up to class today, I sat in the back-"

"Is that nasty bite on your shoulder a product of a cold too?"

Chloe snapped her mouth shut, her hand instinctively moving up to her throat. She flinched away from the cold touch. It was stinging. Painful. "I should go," She hastily tried to stand but wavered.

"Chloe, do you know what the Strigoi is?"

"No," She lowered herself back down "I don't think so."

"They're troubled souls." She said, leaning back in her chair. "People who couldn't find peace in their lives, so they're doomed to spend death in search of something more. A purpose."

"I'm not sure I'm understanding."

"The Greeks had a lot of tactics to explain away things," Miss Aurum stood, walking slowly to the front of the desk. "Like wedlock, and shockingly enough, being a ginger."

Chloe swallowed roughly, leaning back in her seat as she stared up at the woman. She had a natural way with words. One that didn't' feel like she was talking down to someone. She was instructing them. Teaching them.

"How do you become one?" Chloe asked eventually.

"Well, a lot of ways. Sin, mostly, but the Greeks believed that if a cat walked over a grave after someone passed, they'd come back as the demon that lived inside of them all along."

"That's morbid," Chloe finally said, lifting her head up slightly. She still wasn't sure why exactly why the teacher had pulled her so deep into her office just to give her an impromptu lesson about Greek demons.

"Beca is your cat." Miss Aurum folded her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"You do," She said, "You don't want to but you do."

The two sat in a labored silence. She was getting it, pulling the pieces together. The whole elaborate story that was coming back to her in a hazy mess. The way she blacked out after a certain amount of time with Beca. How she woke up with a large bite on the edge of her throat.

"I have to find Beca," She mumbled, knitting her eyebrows together.

"Something tells me she'll find you."


	5. Chapter 5

**The sun was** just beginning to set, a deep golden haze working its way through the blinds of Chloe's dorm room. Even with it's muted tones, she still cringed away from it. She had a pounding headache, her whole body slumped as she flopped down on the edge of her bed. It was unmade, the blankets scratchy against the exposed skin.

She cherished the silence. It was time to think. Time to mull over the fact that a complete stranger had sunk her canine teeth into a major artery. The fact that she should be dead right now, even if she felt like she was half-way there. In a way, the words that Aurum spoke were comforting. Not as cryptic as she thought they would be.

It was easy to dismiss Beca as a nut-job. She had all the inner workings of a psychopath. She was disconnected and distant but craved the touch of another. That much Chloe could tell. But Aurum? She's a respected professor, one that seemed more confident in her knowledge of vampire's than the teenager with a tendency to brood.

Chloe let out a small sigh as she propped herself up on her elbow. She knit her eyebrows together. The one time she actually wanted answers the girl was nowhere to be found. The rough burn against the lining of her stomach didn't seem to fade. It was growing, festering.

"Beca?" She asked this would never work. She knew it wouldn't. She wasn't like Beetlejuice of Bloody Mary, it would take more than a spoken word in an empty dorm room to summon the girl. "Shit."

She clenched her eyes shut, knowing deep down that she would have to return to that graveyard. It was too soon. She was too weak. Everything was sore, the very sound of her breathing heightened. "Shit, shit, shit."

"Language, Red."

Chloe jumped as she pulled a breath into her lungs. It was a painful one, she winced away from it as she got a good look at the girl who stood by the door. She had closed it softly, shoving her hands into her pockets as she got a good look at the divided-up room. One side was littered with bright pink and different inspiration boards. Chloe's a darker shade of grey and turquoise.

"Are you finally ready to hear me out?" She asked, letting out a sigh as she lowered herself onto the bed next to the college student. The same cinnamon scent overwhelmed the room. It almost made Chloe's mouth water. Almost.

"Depends," She clenched her jaw "are you ready to keep the sarcasm down to the minimum?"

"I don't think you have much of a choice," Beca spoke softly. It was almost sincere- the way she talked in a calming manner. It was the smoothest she had ever offered to the girl.

Chloe sat in a labored silence for a few moments. Her hand was draped over her stomach as it raised and fell with each breath she took. The chill of the room didn't have much effect on her already clammy skin.

"You're my cat," Chloe stated.

"Your what?"

"My cat, the one who walked over my grave."

Beca swallowed roughly, clenching her jaw. "I… I'm not good at the whole, talking thing. I don't know how to explain this to you or comfort you in a way that keeps you calm. It's not something I've ever been good at."

"You mean you've never told a girl that you murdered her in a graveyard?" Chloe deadpanned, turning her head to face the girl. She had her legs crossed, hands resting in her lap as she played with the tag of a cow stuffed animal that Chloe had since she was ten. The fur was matted, the color was less of a stark white and more of a sickly grey.

"I didn't kill you," She interjected, "I saved you. My mother killed you."

"Oh, my hero." Chloe snipped. "Your mom sounds like a dream."

"We're not here to talk about my issues." Beca clenched her jaw, letting out a short breath. There was nothing comical about this moment- yet Chloe made jokes like it was second nature. It must have been a defense mechanism. Just like her sarcasm. The two bantered with such little knowledge about one another. "Chlo, if I don't get you something to eat soon, you could die."

"Again?" She growled, "You'd think once would be enough."

"This is serious." Beca nulled in a soft tone. Her fingers were quick to wrap around the gingers. Her touch was chilled but quickly warmed as she ran her thumb over the length of her companions. Chloe was tense, all of her not knowing how to react to this. How to react to Beca, and the situation. "If you die this time, you're past saving, alright? So put on another jacket and get up."

"I'm not cold," Chloe whispered, staring down at her hand. Beca was squeezing her fingers. It was soothing despite the adrenaline that ran through her veins at a mile a minute. She bit the inside of her lip to stop from speaking.

"You will be," Beca let out a small breath as she retracted her touch. It made Chloe's own oxygen catch in her throat. Fuck. She didn't even know if she was supposed to have a pulse, much less have one this loud in her ears.

The brunette was cryptic with her answers. Like she didn't know who she was, much less how to talk a girl down. How to talk anyone down. This whole entire thing spurred from a quick moment of thinking. One that went against her nature.

She stood quickly, eyes darting towards the dorm room entrance. Chloe propped herself up and followed her gaze. She didn't quite know if she would willingly follow this stranger wherever she wanted to go. This wasn't like her professor. She wasn't trustworthy.

The door was quick to open, it's creaky hinges making Chloe press her palms against her eardrums as she let out a small groan. Everything was getting louder. Hissing at her from all angles as Beca gave her a curious stare.

Aubrey stood in the door, her bag slung over her shoulder as her slate eyes stared questioningly at her roommate. It wasn't that Chloe never brought home any friends- they just never looked like this. Like a girl with piercings against her ears and dark clothing. She looked more like a bouncer at some fancy club than anything.

"Oh!" Aubrey quickly lifted her eyebrows as Chloe stood and raked a hand through her tangled hair. She looked like a mess- her scent thick with death as Beca stood in near silence. It was a clear change from the rosy cheeks that Chloe usually boasted. "Hi, who's your friend?"

Chloe stared dumbly at Aubrey for a few seconds. She smelled like vanilla. It was the same type of wave that washed over her before- but stronger. Like there was a metallic edge to her scent. It made her mouth water as she gazed right through her friend, quickly getting a tack on the sound of her heartbeat pounding against her chest.

Beca shoved her elbow into Chloe's ribs, the girl sucking in quickly as she blinked a few times, catching her bearings. "Oh, uh right. Aubrey, this is Beca she's my…"

"Study buddy." Beca stuck her hand out to the perky blonde, only getting an apprehensive look back. "For Roman Mythology."

"Greek," Chloe spoke.

"Right," Beca nervously laughed as she retracted her grasp, not getting any signs that Chloe's roommate would reach forward and take her hand. "Which is why I need a study buddy in the first place."

Chloe laughed nervously, scratching the back of her neck. "She's hopeless… We were just heading out, Bree, to get some coffee and catch up on the unit."

"Mind if I join you?" Aubrey lifted her chin, trying to gauge the situation.

"No," Beca spoke quickly, "I mean, yes- it's probably going to be really boring. Flashcards and stuff."

Aubrey pursed her lips as she narrowed her gaze. There was a bit of anger in the room that Beca could quickly pick up on as Chloe lost focus once more. She was staring straight ahead, mouth parted slightly as Beca wrapped her fingers easily around her shoulder, pulling her back. "Right, Chloe?"

"Right, yes. Yeah." She shook her head as she grasped her bag from the bed behind the two. "I'll bring you something back though, Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon?"

She was stumbling over her words as she dragged Beca behind her, not looking her friend in the eyes. Aubrey stepped away from the girls to let them pass regardless. It wasn't setting right with her- none of this was. "Sure, be careful."

The girls' eyes didn't leave Beca's, her gaze sharp and unforgiving. She refused to back down, not to some alternative girl who was too pale for her own good.


	6. Chapter 6

_**[TW: BLOOD, NEEDLES]**_

 **The anger filled** her cobalt eyes, her jaw taught with pure rage as the wall behind the girl echoed under the sudden weight. Her breath was knocked from her lungs, the girl's own gaze shocked and confused as the papers she held tumbled to the floor. They were files- files about other patients and diseases that Chloe couldn't name.

Her mouth was dry, like cotton or blood. Her mind scrambled. She didn't even know what blood would taste like. It made her stomach churn and throat tighten at the thought of it. The thought of getting an ounce of something she had only gotten when she bit the inside of her lip.

Beca had her fingers wrapped around a doctor's collar. Her knuckles were white and features contorted into pain. Urgency. She was steady in her movements, lips parted slightly as the woman under her grasp knit her eyebrows together.

"Beca," Chloe dared, not trying to get any closer to Beca than she already was. Her eyes were racing to either end of the hallway- watching those damned automatic doors for any sign of movement. None came. Not in a small town like this one. Even with flu season on its brink it was quiet.

The brunette's attention faltered, but she didn't release the woman from her grasp. "What happened to our little deal, huh?"

"It's been years, Beca." The blonde croaked out. "Regulations have changed. Everything has changed."

"For me, maybe." The smaller girl drew in a sharp breath "But for her? Gail, come on. I will teach her. I will, you know me. But I can't if she dies. Look at her."

As slow breath filled the air before the doctor's eyes slowly made their way to Chloe's. She stared for a few moments, squinting her eyes as she took the girl in. She was slumped in her stance- a hood coving up the beginning of a nasty gash on her throat. There were black veins leading away from the source, a slick coat of sweat forming on her collarbone and dripping past her temple. She was shivering like she was cold, though.

Gail shoved her counterpart off of her, Beca relenting as the woman's caring nature took over instead of her unwillingness to help an old family friend. Beca stepped aside, scratching the back of her neck as she gave a guilty look to her new companion.

The doctor stuck her chilled hand under Chloe's chin, turning her head to the side as she winced in pain. She swallowed roughly, trying to lull the burn of having someone that close once more. Instead of vanilla or cinnamon.

"Fine," She let out a long sigh, "Follow me."

Beca gave Chloe a small shrug as the doctor started to walk with a certain stride towards the edge of the hallway. There were mahogany doors with glass smoky panes of glass. Gold lettering was marked on the edge, words written and meaningless. It reminded Chloe of personal investigators or old-time legal offices. She followed regardless, trying to ignore the icy feeling in the back of her throat.

Gail Abernathy, Technetium. Was sprawled against the glass in the same blocked lettering. She struggled with her keys just like Professor Aurum did. The files were left untouched on the other end of the hallway, all three girls forgetting about the once important paperwork.

"I don't run a charity here." The woman spoke, pushing the door open with a creak. She flicked on the golden light, making Chloe squint as she let out a shuddered breath. She didn't quite understand what she was saying. Her eyes darted to the picture frames on the wall, family and a black lab that had a golden bone attached to the red leather collar. "If you want something, I get something in exchange. Sit."

Chloe didn't know what to do at first, it took a slight pressure on her shoulder from Beca for her to finally lower herself into the seat. It was cold, one of those shitty chairs that had fabric ripping at the seams and a bright splotchy yellow pattern.

"One ounce." She spoke, reaching down to a mini-fridge in the corner. It was hidden away behind some printers and a couple of other documents. She had a hand turkey painting hung on bright green construction paper. The surface scrunched where too much paint had been used- dripping and messy just like the very blood she presented a few moments later.

It was in one of the opaque plastic bags that Chloe had only seen once at a blood drive for the Red Cross, and maybe on television a couple of times. It was never a sight to get enthralled about, yet now, her jaw was aching as that same burning ignited in her throat. She felt a rough pressure behind her eyes as she stifled a cough. She hadn't realized Beca's touch growing strong enough to crack a bone. She was holding her in place.

"You can have this." Gail spoke with confidence as she let the sloshing liquid shift on the mahogany desk, "If I can have the same in return."

"Fine." Beca released her grip momentarily as she begrudgingly started to roll up her sleeve. The leather made an odd sound as it bent under he mercy. She stopped once the jacket was all the way above the fold of her elbow. "Just make it quick, please. I hate needles."

"Interesting," Gail leaned forward a bit, "But not from you, Mitchell. I have enough samples. I need the blood of someone in transition."

"She's too weak." Beca snarled, instantly becoming a form of protection again as her fingers found Chloe's shoulder again. "Taking that much will kill her."

"Waiting for the perfect opportunity to get the fresh stuff will have the same effect." Gail pointed out "Take it or leave it, Beca. It's your choice."

"I'll do it." Chloe finally spoke up, shocking the two in the room. She had been so quiet during all of this. She didn't really know how to speak her mind when it came to gambling. This wasn't for poker chips either. This was for something that Chloe couldn't quite describe. She just knew she wanted whatever was in that bag more than anything. The scent was sweet and potent, her mouth watering as she shoved up her own sleeve- skin pale as those same black veins pulsed right under a soft colored canvas.

"Mm," Gail got a mischievous smile on her pink lips as she pulled a kit from under her desk. Chloe positioned her arm right against the corner of the mahogany. Gail had lowered herself into a seat pushing the leather wheeled chair over to the girl. She wasn't gentle with her movements.

She pulled a blue rubber strip from the little plastic box, tying it tight around Chloe's upper arm. It pinched and pulled uncomfortably as the girl winced, Beca drawing in a long breath. She didn't say a word though. "This might pinch a little."

Chloe swallowed roughly as she closed her eyes and put her head back. It was something that she always did when blood was drawn. If she didn't watch the needle pierce the vein than it wasn't really there. It was just a discomfort that she could shove from her mind. This time, it felt draining though. Like her whole entire life was halting as the little glass tube filled with black blood.

"That's enough," Beca said.

Chloe was confused, it felt as if seconds had gone by, not enough time to grasp an ounce of blood from dry veins. She didn't object though, instead of opening her eyes to the doctor wiping away excess liquid to the purple top of the vile as she placed it in the fridge with her lunch.

"Chlo," Beca's voice was soothing as she knelt in front of the girl, Gail watching curiously the brunette grasped the cold bag of blood. Its contents were dark, so dark that it was almost pitch.

A little plastic tip seemed to stop the syrup from moving from the end. Beca disregarded it, taking the edge in her mouth as she bit into the malleable plastic. It ripped easily enough, filling the room with the most fragrant smell that Chloe had ever experienced.

Crimson dripped against the edge of Beca's pensive stare as she situated the small straw-like tube. She placed her free hand against Chloe's jaw, drawing the girl's attention once more. She was out of it, barely paying attention to anything that was happening in front of her. Exhaustion was racking her body, pain not a stranger.

"I need you to stay with me, alright?" Beca raised a brow as she used her thumb to part Chloe's lips slightly, the girl wanting to squirm away as the first taste of blood finally soaked into her taste buds. It was overwhelming, the copper like swallowing a penny.

She coughed, spitting it back out as she shook her head in a grumbled voice, Beca trying to steady the ginger as much as she could. The blood dripped down her chin as she shook her head.

"Hey, I know" Beca coaxed once more, Chloe hating the taste, but despising the burn that followed right after. It was enticing, her fingers finally working around the plastic bag as she grabbed it herself- starting to gulp down the blood like she had been stranded in the desert for over a month with no access to water. That's what it felt like, at this point, she didn't' care if she choked. She didn't care about the doctor or the vampire who had changed her into this. Not when she finally had the relief that she was craving.

Beca sat back on her heels, letting out a small sigh of content as she glanced back at Gail. Her expression was almost taunting as color started to return to Chloe's cheeks. The warmth never would, but at least she looked a little less like an extra from the walking dead and more like a colleges student surviving off of instant noodles.

Chloe let out a long breath as she finally pulled the bag away from her, the contents completely gone as she finally blinked her way back into some form of reality. Some form of consciousness that didn't have a strong ache attached to it.

The brunette smiled, letting out a puff of air as she wiped the bright crimson from the corner of the girl's mouth. "Welcome back, Red."

 **[A/N:** I really can't tell if people like this on not, but I"m having fun so I'm gonna keep writing **]**


	7. Chapter 7

**The scent of** coffee was so strong it was almost nauseating, a machine behind the counter louder than Chloe could even fathom. It made her grit her teeth, digging her nails into the side of the table as the girl across from her set down both of their drinks. The steam rose into the air, clouding her vision of Beca.

"The sound bothering you?" She asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. She carried a look of disdain towards the black coffee. It was too hot and sour to drink. Chloe didn't touch hers either, instead, she folded her hands in front of her.

"Is it that obvious?" The red-head parted her lips slightly.

"Well, to everyone else you look nauseous." Beca cracked a small smile "But to me, you look overwhelmed."

She nodded, swallowing roughly as her mind raced. In an unspoken sort of way, she knew there was no turning back now. Before the hospital- before she emptied that plastic bag of blood like it was a juice pouch on a hot summer day, she had a choice. A choice to give in to the death that loomed just behind the edge of her conscience.

"Alright, hey" The smaller girl reached her hand out and grasped Chloe's. It was a simple gesture, her touch soft and everlasting as she ran her thumb along the edge of the girls just like she had done in the dorm room. "What do you hear?"

"A lot," Chloe knit her eyebrows together as she let out a shaky sigh. "It's so… loud."

"What specifically?" Beca pressed forward. "Really focus."

"Okay," She drew in a breath, clenching her jaw as she slowly closed her eyes. What did she hear? The bubbling of hot water folding under the mercy of raising degrees. The small argument that the couple across the dining room had about being monogamous. Even the girls who shared the same shade of lipstick in the tiny bathroom that rested behind a large mahogany door. "Wow."

"If you ever hear too much… ever get too bombarded with everything that's happening around you, tune into your heartbeat. Your pulse."

"I still have one?" Chloe cautiously opened her eyes, mouth dry like cotton.

"Of course you do," The girl smiled softly "It beats slower than average- but you'll always have one, Chlo, that'll never leave you."

She nodded, finally wrapping her hands around the porcelain mug. It was warm against her palms. She needed that warmth, needed that comfort that she didn't know she was taking for granted until now.

"What else?" She adjusted her stance "I… I've read all the stories and seen all the movies, but I don't know. This doesn't feel like anything I've ever felt before. It's so clear and confusing all at once."

Beca nodded slowly. She didn't really know where to begin. It took a few seconds for her to gather her thoughts before she finally spoke. "You're faster now, your reflexes better and stamina stronger. But it doesn't' come without a price. The sun has a tendency to hurt,"

"You were in the sun yesterday,"

"I was." She nodded, finally pulling the cup filled with inky liquid to her lips. She didn't' sip it yet, instead, she let the steam cloud her vision. "I've been alive long enough to build up a bit of a tolerance. It's not impossible."

"How long, exactly?" Chloe asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"How long have you been… you?"

"Well, I've always been me," Beca abandoned the prospect of stomaching coffee after a long day. She set it back down and leaned forward to answer the question. "But I've been a different version of me since 1892."

"So what you said about your sister then, that was true?"

"It was." Despite not swallowing the liquid, her mouth was sour. Talking about her history made her nervous. It was natural for her to deflect everything with a snide attitude and dark personality. But with Chloe it was different, she almost willed herself to open up. "She unfortunately never got the chance to see the brighter side of ten years old."

"I'm sorry," Chloe whispered, not knowing how to comfort a 125-year-old vampire. "How did it happen… how did you become what you are?"

"Witch craft would be the simple answer." She let out a thick sigh "At that point, my mom, she had died. The whole town was reeling, there wasn't much for anyone to do but sit and wonder while the funeral parlor got more traffic than ever."

Chloe sat back in her seat. Instead of focusing on the sound of her pulse, she tracked her attention to the soothing sound of Beca's voice. A stranger that she wanted to know everything about even if it took all night. She had the time now- after her little meal, there was no chance she could bring herself to rest if she even needed to.

"When I started to feel ill, I prayed. Day and night, I would pray that I would be able to stick around to help my father raise Mercy. My brother, Jesse, had left by then. Gone to school where consumption couldn't touch him. We barely had money, but did have enough food to last through the winter."

"You knew you would die?" Chloe whispered, feeling the fear that had lasted the past 24 hours take a home back in her stomach in an obscene wave.

Beca nodded. "I was sick, and no one could help me. Not even God, it seemed… but I did meet someone, one night. I had ventured away from the house against the doctors best wishes. I wasn't old enough to drink, but I was determined to have one before everything ended. She helped me."

"She turned you?"

"Not right away." Beca let out a small breath "I fell in love, hard and fast. I didn't have much time to determine the consequences of being infatuated with a woman in that time and age, so all bets were off. I thought I was just fun, for her. An experiment."

Chloe swallowed a gulp of her coffee. It was filled to the brink with creamer- a lighter shade of white that steam quelled close to the edge. She didn't' care about the heat anymore.

"I was dying, and both of us knew that, but she never brought up what she was, what she is." Beca parted her lips slightly. "I was on my death bed when she told me that there was an answer for it all. A way to keep me alive long enough for us to be together. To run away together."

"What happened?" The Red-head willed. She didn't want to push Beca too far, but in a way, she needed to know. She needed to hear it from her savior and killer.

"She was a witch." Beca clenched her jaw "One that practiced the darkest of arts. She had perfected the spirit of immortality in time for me to be restored after the town had gone on their annual vampire cleanse."

"So you did die?" Chloe asked.

"You did too," The brunette lifted her chin slightly "Not as long as I did, but death did have a hold on you, and it easily could have grabbed you again if we waited any longer tonight. It's a cold and dark experience that I wouldn't will upon anyone."

"What happened to her," Chloe swallowed roughly "The girl who helped you."

"She cursed me." Beca let out a small scoff as she shook her head "But at the risk of getting too technical, this part of Georgia had its fair share of witch hunts too. They burned her at the stake before she could teach me how to be what I am. Which is why I refuse to let you go through this blindly, Chloe."

There was a thick and unimaginable silence between the two as the noise around them quieted. The brunette knew she had to order a hot chocolate for the feisty blonde roommate that would have her head if Chloe wasn't returned soon. But she didn't' move, not as the deep crystal stare of this new vampire poured into hers.

"The other night, after I did the same thing to the woman who raised me, it felt wrong. I had spent centuries alone, and suddenly I was getting what I wanted. But when she threatened you- when she hurt you it was everything that I didn't."

Beca let out a steady breath "I couldn't let you be another victim that's forgotten. Because, Chloe, I've known you but a day and you're all I want to remember."


	8. Chapter 8

_**[Little bit of a warning, this is just a filler chapter. I promise I'm getting to the good stuff soon!]**_

 **The dorm was** scarcely decorated, a small yellow lamp resting at the edge of an already big brick structure. Chloe had never seen something so empty. The desk was clear of anything personal- wall bare as a white sheet and grey blanket covered the edge of a twin mattress.

Beca threw her bag down, the burlap making an odd sound against the floor. She let out a shaky breath. This whole entire place smelled like her. Sweet and dangerous. The other half of the room littered with different posters of movies, and a messy duvet. There was a laptop casting a hazy blue light across the length of the room.

It had been a long day, Chloe was exhausted. The hunger that had been eating away at her for the past couple of hours had finally dulled off enough for her to relax into herself- to enjoy the little vampire's company for once in the first 48 hours.

"You're not going back there," Beca mumbled, saying the same thing Aubrey had about the graveyard shift at a cemetery. When the blonde snipped about it, it was condescending. But from Beca, it sounded a little less like criticism and more like a friendly suggestion.

"Okay, I won't." Chloe flopped down on the mattress too, feeling sore. She stared up at the ceiling as her legs draped off the side of the bed. Beca had her arm behind her head, breath steady as she rested her hand on her chest.

She blinked a few times. She had been so headstrong towards the situation. She was used to working for what she wanted- and right now she needed money to pay for classes that she couldn't afford in the first place. Yet, after one simple suggestion from a near stranger, she was ready to give it up.

"Wait, what the fuck was that?" Chloe asked, whipping her head around to face Beca. She had underestimated how close the girl was- her breath hot on Chloe's collarbone. It was mint mixed with coffee. Beca's stare lingered on the red-heads lips for a second as she let out a sigh. "You just did something."

"I did," Beca turned on her side, resting her head on her elbow as she lowered her grasp to mess with the hem of the only blanket in this whole half of the dorm room. "The power of persuasion my dear. Regardless, you're not going back to that graveyard. Gallagher is a creep."

"Says the girl who gives impromptu history lessons in the middle of said Graveyard. Besides, I have to get money if I want to stay at Barden."

"Consider it paid for," Beca mumbled, running a hand through her mousey brown hair.

Chloe stared at the girl, wonder in her eyes as she squinted them. She didn't' know if Beca was offering to cover a whole entire tuition by herself. It wasn't something she would even let a close family member do. But in a way, the option hit her hard. The girl did kill her.

"Chlo, when it comes to finances, I've been saving for a retirement fund for… hmm, one- hundred years."

"A humble brag indeed," Chloe giggled, blowing a bit of air from her nose. "You're uh… You're going to teach me everything about this, right? That whole creepy mind control thing you did."

"Of course, Red," Beca smirked her eyes flipping towards the door to the dorm room. She sat up, straightening her arm as she parted her lips slightly. Chloe knew enough about social cues to realize that they weren't going to be alone in a few moments. She couldn't hear much, using most of her attention to focus on Beca's shallow breath and even slower heartbeat.

The door flung open, Chloe stifling a grin as she got a good look at the owner of the movie posters. She had seen the girl around campus- Amy, something. She had the type of confidence that Chloe would kill for, the style that would cause anyone to fall into an easy conversation with her. The complete opposite of her brooding little friend.

"Becer!" She shouted alcohol clearly on her breath. She was barefoot, holding a pair of studded heels in her hands as a black cocktail dress hugged her sides. Chloe couldn't tell if she was foreign, hammered, or both. "Beccer's friend."

"Amy," Beca cracked a warm smile "This is Chloe,

"Can you teach her how to decorate?" The blonde ignored the tiny human to Chloe's right and went straight to pulling herself into her own cocoon of covers. She didn't' bother changing, a lazy smirk on her face. "She's got the style of a piece of toast."

"White?" Chloe raised her eyebrow in amusement.

"Bland," the drunk girl hummed. "Toast, burnt toast."

She grumbled as she curled up and slowly closed her eyes, Beca shook her head as she let out a small sigh and pressed her fingers to her forehead. She had an odd way with her roommate- Anyone else would have ended up with a black eye and a bloody nose, but Amy had escaped unharmed.

"Burnt toast?" She knit her eyebrows together.

"Well, you do dress in all black," Chloe smirked. "Does that come with the territory?"

"Mm," The small girl glanced up as she pursed her lips. She stared at Chloe with wonderment. The first time she saw the girl she was covered head to toe in mud. The shirt that she wore was sheer- almost see through. She clearly wasn't set to dig a hole in the ground.

She squeezed the redhead's shoulder slightly, shaking her head as she glanced at the sleeping roommate that was curled up on the mattress. She was just short of snoring, consciousness evading her. "It wouldn't hurt for you to buy a leather jacket, hot-shot. Oh! Or you could just chop up some garlic while you're at it, stop by a church and try to check your reflection in a mirror."

"Alright, alright I yield," Chloe smirked as she held her hands up in surrender. They both laughed, filling the room with a light sound as it finally died down. Chloe drew in a light sigh "Were you serious about the garlic? Because Italian food is my favorite."

"No," The shorter girl scoffed, "What's the point of living forever if you can't enjoy pizza?"

"Fair point, Mitchell." She shook her head, there was an odd air of quiet involving the two. This was the first time they had gotten along- at least without the bickering that Beca evoked and anger that Chloe was channeling. It was comfortable, in a way. "I uh- I should get going. Aubrey will blow a gasket if I'm out half the night again."

"Alright," Beca nodded it understanding, chewing the edge of her lip as she stepped aside for her to reach the door. "Call me if you need anything tonight."

"Smoke signal?" Chloe lifted an eyebrow in amusement.

"How about we stick with a Cell phone." The girl smirked, blowing air from her nose. Her deep cobalt gaze lingered on Chloe's for a few moments before she pulled the brass knob of the old door open. The hinges creaked and groaned. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Sure, of course." Chloe didn't object to the fact that she had to sit through a two and a half hour lecture course when she couldn't really focus on anything other than the new emotions that flooded her body. It was dangerous, it was confusing. But so was Beca.

She halted as a chilled hand grasped her fingers. She was halfway into the hallway- the scent of freshly applied paint and empty Dorito bags filled her lungs. She glanced back at the ominous girl. "You'll have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, Beale."

"That's comforting,"

Beca chuckled softly, a sweet and silky sound. "It's not meant to be."


	9. Chapter 9

**[TW: BLOOD, AND A LITTLE VIOLENCE]**

 **"The ancient Greeks** didn't live for very long," Professor Aurum paced back and forth in front of the large hellish projector. The edges of a large illustration distorting over her features as she stepped into the thin image. "Alexander the Great passed away at the young age of 32, on June 323 BC."

Beca had edged herself away from the dull light that was flickering in the back of the auditorium. It was annoying- the lightbulb making an odd and unwarranted buzzing sound that distracted me from whatever the young teacher was droning on about.

Chloe tapped her pen slowly against the lined paper that was half filled. Her handwriting was lacking. It wasn't as pristine as it always was. She was cold, not being able to feel her hold on the writing instrument or anything else. She leaned back heavily against the plush chair, not knowing what an ancient warrior had to do with Greek Mythology.

"Some say that the great Alexander died from a drinking problem that soon trickled into a fever," Aurum spoke, projecting her voice. "It's easy enough to say his vices were something that took him down- but for that time period he passed the life expectancy of many."

The redhead tilted her gaze towards the large theatre doors. They spilled bright sunlight into the dark area, making her cringe away. The kid who stumbled into his seat fifteen minutes late wreaked of weed. It was a sweet and salt-filled scent. He held a bike helmet in one hand- his notebook scorned and coated in a thick coat of mud as he mumbled an apology and sunk into the seat in front of the girls- trying not to attract any more attention than necessary.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Hallan." The woman who instructed the class gruffly took notice of the man who stumbled in late.

Beca shook her head softly as she pressed her pencil to the paper in front of her. She was sketching something, the movement of the lead against parchment was enough to drive a girl mad, but Chloe had other things to focus on. Other people to focus on. She stared curiously at the boy in front of her. He looked torn up- dirt wicked into his clothes as he set the bike helmet to his side. He must've fallen.

He smelled earthy. Almost like a strange combination of sediment and vanilla. It reminded Chloe of the time she used to help her grandmother in the kitchen. They would work in the garden all day to gather the ingredients. It raised spirits and appetite's as they came inside and took leftover flour and baking powder to create some form of dessert.

Chloe had once been so enticed by the scent of the vanilla extract that she rose it to her lips, cringing away when the bitter liquid danced across her tongue. Her grandmother gave her a sharp look. Stating that not everything that looks innocent is.

She shrugged it off, knowing that it was a little mistake, and she would move on. But the words always stuck with her. In a way, it reminded her of why roses had thorns, and why the best types of fruit were the hardest to get.

"Of course, another theory suggests the use of poison. Alexander was careful, he never sipped a drink that wasn't tested beforehand, but if someone very close to the leader handed him a cup full of wine, he wouldn't' hesitate. It was his downfall."

"Chlo," Beca mumbled, barely above a whisper, making stark blue eyes flash over to hers. "You okay?"

"Yeah," The taller girl cleared her throat, shifting her position in the seat. "I'm fine."

She clenched the front of the desk, though. Digging her nails into the grained wood as the smaller girl took a short notice of the change in demeanor that Chloe took on. She was tense, lips parted as she started to breathe a bit heavier.

That's when Beca noticed it, the scent of blood. That kid who was late carried it in with him like an aura of the stench. Usually, she wasn't so impervious to it, but she was more focused on the way Chloe was acting. The girl had so much control, it was different than the other vampires that were new to this. She thought through her actions, but now, with blood involved, that could be a different story.

The girl to her side was on edge, her jaw clenched to the point of needing a mouth guard. The red-head was struggling, clearing her throat as a nagging edge ate away at the back of her mind.

There was no reason and logic. It was like the very vice that Professor Aurum was droning on about in the front of the room. Everything else was blurred out, her mouth watering as a deep need filled her lungs. She was in a haze- the only thing on her mind was taking a sip of that vanilla liquid.

She could feel an undeniable ache emanate from her jaw, elongated canine teeth digging into her bottom lip as her own blood drawn from the freshly nipped skin. Beca let out a thick sigh beside her, shaking her head as she stopped her incessant doodling. She had been sketching flowers, the vines stretching in muddy graphite.

The tiny Burnette didn't' take more than a second to consider her options. She could very well pull Chloe out by her arm, creating a scene. Instead, she grasped the very pencil she was drawing with and pressed it roughly into Chloe's thigh.

A sharp inhale filled the room, one that other people assumed was a sigh, but Chloe's deep blue gaze flashed with shock and confusion. The tip of the graphite had reached all the way to the seat, Chloe doing nothing short of panicking now. Blood was slowly seeping through her jeans, staining them with a blotchy mess of iron.

"Beca," Chloe hissed, eyes dark as the very canine's that were so ready to dig into an open vein pulled back. She felt sick to her stomach, this hurt like a bitch. A splinter that she couldn't quite remove. A deep wasp that kept stinging against an open wound.

The girl was quick to wrap her hand around the base of the writing utensil, right where it meant her skin. The side of her hand soaked in rustic syrup as she did so- but Beca kept pushing down, making sure to keep the instrument in place.

"The first thing you have to realize, Beale, is that there are addictions in this world." The girl whispered roughly into the redhead's ear. "This isn't as simple as sneaking a spare cigarette from your mother's purse."

"Beca, please take the pencil out of my leg." She mumbled through clenched teeth, Aurum's gaze flashing over to them curiously. She left it alone, the two of them spoke only enough for each other to hear. "I swear to god I'll-"

"You'll what?" The brunette taunted "Rip that pencil away and murder that innocent boy in cold blood just because of a deep craving? I don't' think so, Red."

"I wasn't going to do that."

"How do you know?" Beca sounded out easily. Instead of an answer, she got a blank stare, the shock wearing off. "That's right you don't. Your need for blood is overwhelming your logical thought process. It's called lust. Libido."

"Can't you teach me on a bit of learning curve?" She hissed, glancing down at the blood that now pooled on the seat underneath her.

"No," She mumbled as Aurum started to shut off her power point. She was giving her final thoughts, leaving the class wanting more like any good presenter would. "If you associate that need with nothing but pain, then we won't have a problem, now will we?"

"What are you going to do next time, huh? Drive a bullet through my skull."

"Oh, I would never." Beca gave an innocent smile as the sound of people gathering their stuff filled the air. She pulled back quickly, Chloe let out a muffled grunt as a form of relief washed over her. The two girls watched carefully as the boy who had rushed in late stalked away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Chloe stood up, trying not to put too much pressure on her leg. It burned like a nasty cut, the bloodied instrument still resting in the tiny vampire's grasp. Aurum slowly walking up the carpeted steps, the three of them lingering in the large auditorium.

"Relax, you'll heal." Beca slung her bag over her shoulder. "You've been through worse, you just don't remember it."

"Oh?" Chloe cocked her head to the side, "You mean like your evil fucking mother?"

"Yes, like my _evil fucking mother_." Beca snipped back, shaking her head as she made slight eye contact with the woman who was now at the top of the steps.

"Oh, by all means, don't stop your little lovers quarrel on my behalf." The thick accented edge of Aurums voice filled the girl's ears. Beca lifted her chin slightly parting her lips as she stared easily at the woman. She was familiar in an odd way that she couldn't place.

"We're not," Chloe stumbled through her words "She'd never be-"

"Never?" Beca gave her a taunting smirk. "That's a long time, Chloe."

A certain heat moved towards the girl's cheeks. It didn't in any way dismiss the rage she felt towards the girl next to her. Never was a long time, especially now. Everything had been so overwhelming, but Beca was there through it all- even with her odd methods.

Professor Aurum took in a bunch of air, breaking the heavy gaze that Beca held with the younger girl. She was small but carried a lot of mystery and anger. Those deep cloudy eyes were like falling into a foggy lake. You had no idea where you were going, but it didn't really seem to matter.

Chloe's nails were still pressing into her palm, a slight sting moving through her arm as she adjusted her position. The blood was drying against the edge of her thigh, adhering the fabric to her skin. She shifted.

"Professor," Beca's stare flicked back to the woman, shaking a bit of the roughness. "Chloe mentioned something about you giving her a bit of a history lesson on Greek Vampire's?"

"Mm," the older woman hummed, not changing her hardness. "Strigoi, the evil demonic poltergeist… You're not going to turn into a bat on me, are you Miss Mitchell?"

Beca let out a small noise as she lifted her chin slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. Chloe had never seen the two interact, she wasn't even sure how Beca got in this class so far into the semester. She assumed it was that same "Power of Persuasion" that the girl had used on her earlier. Now it seemed like the two had an odd dynamic about them.

"That's a nasty stereotype." She smirked, "But no. I was wondering if you knew anything about Hecate?"

"She's the goddess of all witchcraft." The woman pursed her lips, Chloe leaning heavily against the edge of the desk. Her notebook rested in her hand, the rustic blood smearing against the cover as she listened to the two talk like colleges instead of teacher and student. The girl wouldn't be surprised if Beca got the young woman to talk to her out of a favor. "A trickster really. She wrote enough spell books for people like me to make sure things were easier to access."

"People like you?" Chloe's voice was high pitched, her eyebrows raised as the poised woman glanced her way.

"I'm not a professional or anything," She held her hands up in defense "I can handle myself well, though."

"She knows her stuff, Beale," Beca confirmed with a nod. "My evil fucking mother is a force to be reckoned with, and I made a mistake. One that I think I need help fixing."

"And your brother?" The teacher lifted her chin in question.

"He's not of my concern." Beca drew in a breath "At least not right now."


	10. Chapter 10

**_[Okay, this is such a shitty chapter, I'm sorry, it's been rough]_**

 **The mansion loomed** against a slowly darkening sky, it's clouds looked almost painted. The air was slowly growing colder, Chloe not feeling the need for a jacket at all. Beca had insisted quite clearly that it would look odd for the redhead to prance around in jean shorts and a tank top, even though she didn't mind.

It would make people question her slight change in personality. Aubrey was already hot on the trail of something be off about her best friend. She didn't ask many questions though. The girl had been irritable, snapping at the little things like asking to borrow more flash-cards, or commenting on how the lab for biology was due in a few days. She eventually backed off and let her have her moment to stew.

Beca knew that it was the adrenaline. All the new feelings that rushed through her veins. Shoving a pencil into the girl's thigh wasn't the best course of action, but neither was letting her instincts peel back. The bloodlust was rough- hard for the girl to control.

The darker girl let out a small sigh as she adjusted her own coat, staring up at her home. The deep stone looked more like a castle than anything. She remembered when she built it, attempting to model it after the type of buildings she saw during a stint in Iceland. Instead, it looked like the house at the top of the hill that other kids dared their counterparts to explore.

A motorcycle was parked out front, the engine still crackling from receding heat, a thick gassed scent filling their lungs. Another black truck similar in style and make to what Chloe saw Beca driving rested in an open garage. A basketball hoop was drilled into the soft surface.

"Wait," Chloe dragged her feet, the toes of her boot pressing roughly against the cobblestone walkway. She didn't know why she was stalling, the pit in her stomach growing to the size of a golf ball. Part of it had to be attributed to the woman who was most likely resting behind that door. The one who had ripped her life away from her. It wasn't Beca, she knew it wasn't. The brooding vampire had done everything in her power to keep her safe, to keep her sane.

The smaller girl must have noticed the color in her companion's face drain slightly. It wasn't a hard task to complete. Her fingers were already shaking, and the scent of pure fear was thick in the air. "Chlo, she's not here."

"The car-"

"My brothers." She relented "Jesse doesn't really care about all of this stuff. As long as he's fed, he's happy. Alright?"

The ginger nodded softly, drawing in a sharp breath as she hung her head and followed Beca into the large house. The floor immediately echoed as they walked into the foyer. Beca's scent was pressing against every inch of Chloe's body. It made her shudder, the warmth overwhelming.

She could tell that Beca brought in a designer. Her dorm room was a far cry from the farmhouse style that decorated almost every wall. It was rustic, but modern at the same time. There was a large stone fireplace that Chloe could barely see past the large double staircase and decorated carpet. It was made out of the same material as the walkway. Everything seemed to have a perfect place.

The girl didn't' waste time heading up to her room. Chloe followed reluctantly, sticking close. She had to pick up a few more things, not having anything other than t-shirts at the college. The air was growing colder, and like she had made a point of earlier: they had to make an effort to appear normal.

A white door was propped open at the top of the stairs, the muffled sound of a gun firing in the reinks of some alien wasteland assaulted the girl's ears. A sour expression pressed against Beca's lips as she let out a sigh and leaned heavily against the white frame, trying to catch the hooded figures attention.

Her brother was curled up in a chair, popcorn and soda cans scattered around the edge of his cocoon. Beca wasn't counting on the other man that was lounging on the bed, an open pizza box to his side. He looked innocent enough, but out of place. He was pale- on edge just like her own responsibility.

"Hi," She sounded out, raising her eyebrows as she crossed her hands over her chest. Everything about this felt off to her- her brother still refusing to look her in the eyes. He was moving just fine, eyes trained on the blue tinted screen as Chloe's lips parted slightly.

"Benji?" She whispered, knowing damn well that the other man in the room heard her. He perked up, pressing some obscure button to call up a pause menu. It brought an odd silence to the room, the stranger waving dumbly as Beca's brother finally turned to focus on the visitors.

He was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt, the color growing from the olive t-shirt that was hugging his frame. Despite being hung up in this place for days he still had a bit of a glow about him. His jaw was stone cut, skin a pale color compared to other men Chloe had the pleasure of bumping into.

"Who's this?" He asked a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Oh, that's Chloe Beale. Straight A student, and all around nice person." Chloe beamed, mouthing him a 'thank you' as Beca looked at her counterpart and the new stranger that had appeared out of nowhere. The shorter girl sent him a blood curling glare. "Oh, got it. Rhetorical question."

"I could ask you the same thing, Jess." She flicked her gaze to her brother. He stood, dusting off spare crumbs from whatever junk food he had been shoving into his mouth.

"That's Benji," Chloe said, that same level of puppy excitement that she seemed to carry in the graveyard the first night seemed to fill her. It made Beca stifle a smile. She wasn't happy, but the taller woman was enough to cause her to stare. "Straight C student, and pizza delivery boy. But also a really nice person."

Beca let out a small, but sharp growl.

"That was rhetorical too, got it." Chloe blushed as she made a zipping motion against her pink lips, throwing the key behind her with a pensive look on her face. The smaller woman finally averted that icy anger to the only one related to her.

"You turned the pizza delivery boy?"

"I needed someone to play video games with." He admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I was a little impulsive. So what? You turned some random girl that you have the hots for."

Chloe pulled air into her lungs that seemed to go unnoticed as the two newly turned vampires watched their mentors escalate when it came to the playground insults. Beca was always so calm when it came to everything. She was level-headed and focused. Jesse seemed to steal all of that away from her. He glanced around his younger sister made eye contact with the ginger.

"Did she fuck you yet, sweetie?" He hissed, it was a lot more malicious than she was expecting.

"Excuse me?" Beca cut him off, shoving her hand into his chest. "She is not some random girl. She's the only reason you're here right now."

He lifted an eyebrow quieting a bit as he looked down at his sister, chest heaving. Part of Chloe wanted him to just keep playing his video games and let them fill a few duffle bags with whatever clothes Beca had. The girl knew they were all black, but part of her hoped to walk into her room to see a pink bed-spread and floral sundresses.

"Oh," Jesse sounded out, clenching his stoic jaw. "Okay, Becs I think it's about time you get her out of here before mother dearest comes home. Alright?"

"Right," She sounded out, taking a slight step back. The atmosphere in the room quickly changed. The scent of spray can cheese was still thick in Chloe's lungs, but all humor had been sucked from the room. Beca's fingers wrapped around Chloe's as she pulled her towards the room, Benji knitting his eyebrows together as the door slowly closed behind the two girls.

"What was that about?" Chloe whispered harshly, Beca still trying to catch her temper.

"Nothing," She straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin slightly. "We just don't get along, alright?"


	11. Chapter 11

_**Her throat burned,**_ _a rough and ripping sensation that she could only attribute to being stabbed. Of Course, Chloe had never been at the mercy of a knife-wielding maniac. But part of her felt like this was what it would be like. The nagging throb at the back of her mind was enough to cause a hissing growl to tear through her chest._

 _The fabric that was under her fingernails was soft, stretching in an attempt to stay stitched while she wrapped her fingers around the collar. The scent that filled her lungs was sweet, almost too sweet. It reminded her of watching a baker craft a designer cake. The icing was the best, most delicate part. Too pretty to consume, but not pretty enough to keep away from._

 _The boy that cowered under her grasp was never one that she had seen before. His breath was hot and sour against her awaiting lungs. His glasses were fogged with her own breath, a look of terror pressing roughly against his features as the red-head glowered._

 _She couldn't explain it; the feeling of power the rushed roughly through her veins as she struggled to fight against it. Her eyes itched and burned almost as much as her jaw did, breath uneven and struggled as she placed her knees firmly between his legs. Her free hand right above his shoulder._

 _The sky was inky, half of a moon illuminating the little hallway that was open between the auditorium and the student offices. It was a good shortcut during the day and an even better hiding place at night._

 _Chloe growled deeply with each heavy breath. She didn't' sound human anymore. Not as the freshman cowered below her. The primal need for a hunt, the need to let everything single thing that she had been pushing down the last couple of days. She had no idea what she was doing but knew her next decision was a bad one._

 _"What the hell are you?" He mustered, voice breaking._

 _She girl smirked, her canines dripping with saliva as her mouth watered. She could smell him, feel him squirming under her touch. She didn't say anything, her eyes a deep and primal crimson compared to the pale moon that gave her a bit of light. She wouldn't need it. Her inhuman instinct was rough and dominating._

 _"Have you ever been with a woman, Alex?" She purred, pressing herself closer to the guy. He was in her physic's class, he never talked, never even took notes. He just sat there and faked his way through the exams when they popped up. He had a cocky and unforgivable attitude about him. One that had always bothered Chloe._

 _"What?" He stammered out, voice barely above a squeak._

 _He was crying trying to stifle the tears that were streaking against his flushed-out cheeks. His whole body was shaking, the scent of his fear enticing as she brought her lips close to his jawline, kissing the tender skin gently as he let out a small whimper. She was taught to never play with her food, but in this case, she was making an exception._

 _"Chloe, please."_

 _She barely heard him as she quickly pressed her teeth into the large vein right underneath his chin. He let out a sharp gasp, swallowing roughly as his words were cut off by the sure pain that was moving across his body. He was frozen- in terror or just because she kept him there so expertly like a cat playing with its catch._

 _The blood wasn't the same as the hospital bag she had torn through a couple of days earlier. It was warmer, warm and filling. She could almost taste the fear that he experienced laced with a sweetness that she couldn't quite explain, the crimson syrup dripping down her chin and onto her shirt. No, it wasn't the same. It was better- her heart still pounding in her ears as she ran her tongue over the puncture wounds she had created._

 _Alex let out a small whimper as he clenched his eyes shut, finally going limp under the senior's grasp. She couldn't hear a heartbeat other than hers, but that didn't seem to matter at the moment. Not when that rough fire was finally extinguished. It was the first ounce of relief that she had received since this whole entire thing started._

 _The girl pulled away, a deep snarl still in her throat as she dragged her hand lazily against her red-stained mouth. He collapsed into a pile on the ground, Chloe's pajama pants suddenly not as warm as she remembered- the red plaid designs giving her more mercy than the white t-shirt that was now soaked in blood like it was sweat._

 **She woke up** with a start, sweat pressing against every inch of her body as the cooling effect of a dark room. The sound of Aubrey's desk fan was the only sound that she could hear, the blonde couldn't' sleep without it and her counterpart had grown to enjoy the white noise herself.

Chloe was panting, the dry cotton taste in her mouth as she propped herself up in the darkness. Her vison cut right through it, though. She had kicked her blankets away from her, the nightmare a sharp and clear one as she blinked a few times, trying to calm her nerves.

She was drenched, feeling damp an uncomfortable in her pajama's as she let out a thick sigh and rested her head lazily on her doorframe. Her roommate was fast asleep, her dull snores enough to lull Chloe back into a half-state of sleep. She was still sitting up, legs pressed against her chest as she rested her chin on them. A slight snore escaped her parted lips as she calmed.

It didn't' last long, a bright and blinding light filled the room as the door busted open. It was enough to get the young girl to draw a sharp breath into her lungs. Aubrey shot up herself, shuffling against the blankets as her lanky fingers wrapped around the padded end of a golf club that she kept by her nightstand. She raised it- fighting stance as both girls panted and stared at a wide-eyed Beca.

She was in her pajama's- a black tank-top and short shorts, the color a deep purple that Chloe would question more if she wasn't so startled by the sudden outburst. The angry and unforgivable look on the woman's face caused more concern.

"What the actual fuck?!" Aubrey hissed, her stance not wavering as Beca huffed.

"Did you have fun tonight, Chlo?" The shorter woman asked with little humor in her voice.

The ginger shook her head in confusion, not sure what to say as she parted her lips slightly. She didn't understand why exactly her cat had busted into the room without any warning so late into the night. How no one had heard the commotion. She knew that Stacie had a tendency to wave people through, but even she wouldn't fall for Beca just walking in so late.

Aubrey's eyes darted towards her friends, that slate gaze filled with terror as her stance faltered. Blood. There was a lot of it, smeared against her friend's lips and roughly etched into her clothing. She must have been hurt or in pain. That's why she wasn't responding. The woman thought quickly, the prospect of her friend hurting anything or anyone not crossing her mind.

"Aubrey, go to the library." The brunette didn't take her fire-filled gaze away from her counterpart.

"What?" The blonde breathed out, too startled to protest with some snarky remark. "No! It's 3am, and who the hell do you think you are just bursting in here in the middle of th-"

Her speech dwelled as Beca ripped the golf club easily from her grasp, just as she had done so easily with the taster the first night the girls met. She threw it to the side, staring into the hardened eyes of Aubrey. "You're a pain in my ass, you know that, Posen? Go to the fucking library."

The blonde swallowed roughly. She didn't' say anything as she shoved passed the smaller girl and into the hallway. She was barefoot, but that didn't really seem to matter. Not to her, not at that moment. The younger girl knew Aubrey would hardly make it to the library, instead, she would lounge around by Stacie's desk to share what had just happened- Chloe wasn't sure how strong Beca's pull was, but she knew her friend would have trouble resisting it.

The tiny woman let out another growl, one that rose from her chest as she started pacing back and forth. "You know, this is all my fault? I shouldn't have left you alone. It was stupid."

Chloe knit her eyebrows together as she gazed down at her hands. She hadn't realized them in the dark- her fingers shaking under the pressure of raising anxiety. Her mouth was dry like she had swallowed some cotton balls. The rustic brown liquid coated almost every inch of her skin.

"Beca," She whispered, voice barely above an audible tone. Tears were starting to press against the edge of her eyes. A rough feeling quelled in her chest as she sniffed, the woman fidgeting in front of her halted, cocking a brow. "I thought it was a dream."

Beca's gaze softened a bit.

"Alex is dead, isn't he?" She sniffed.

Chloe had just gotten a chance to take in Beca's appearance, her busting in like that didn't give her much room to peruse the girl. Her skin was coated with different grass stains as thick soil took up most of the fabric that covered her body. She looked tired. She probably was tired.

"Oh my god," She whispered, her voice choked and fragile as she pushed herself away from the sweat-stained mattress. Beca watched her carefully as walked into the small shared restroom that the dorm beside them used as well. The shared showers were enough for the school- the board finally agreeing that privacy was allowed in some aspects.

She tried to stifle her sobs as she flicked on the cold water and struggled to scrub the stains away from her palms. She was shaking, hyperventilating as her chest shook against the overwhelming emotions. "I-I don't remember what happened. I was here, sleeping. I know I was sleeping. I didn't even get out of bed. There was no fucking way I could have killed someone. Not Alex. Holy Fuck, his little sister-"

"Chloe," The girl soothed as she placed her hand on the faucet, pressing down slightly until the water stopped collecting against he muddy porcelain. The ginger was openly weeping now, her lip quivering. Her sobs interrupted any type of need to breathe as she collapsed into Beca's arms, trying to forget about the rustic scent that plagued her.

The smaller girl held her up with little to no effort. Her fingers dug into the sides of Chloe's shirt, squeezing her as close as she possibly could to keep the girl from crying. It was something she was worried about. She swallowed roughly as she breathed in Chloe's scent. It was distorted but still filled with lemon and vanilla.

"It's okay," Beca whispered, Chloe curled up against the girl's chest. She knew all of this was too much, the ginger was listening to her calm and steady heartbeat. It was easier to block everything out that way- her warmth overwhelming despite the fact that both women were inherently freezing. "It'll be okay."

"How will any of this be okay?" The girl finally squeaked, her crying calmed down to a dull buzz.

"It's part of what we are, Chloe." Beca tried carefully. "There is no avoiding the need to hunt. The need to kill. Your mind may have been fighting that off, but your body still gave in to what it craved."

"Can I stop it?" She said, barely above a breath.

"No," The reply was short. "No, you can't."

 **[A/N: Oh damn, things are getting heated.]**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chloe kept her** gaze trained roughly on her fingers, the pale objects trembling as her breath took on the same state. The blood was gone, it's crimson clutches being washed down a joint shower drain as the girl stood there, numbly.

The water had grown cold now, unwavering as it beat flush against her skin, her breath labored as her arms rested right below the showerhead, the girl having shifted her position to gain her footing even though she was staying still. She didn't want to leave, the scent of melon soap still strong in her lungs as she clenched her jaw.

She could hear Beca's breathing outside, the girl sitting on the sink as she kept her silent edge about her. Her own mind was racing, knowing that Chloe would snap at one point or another, she just didn't think it would be this soon. The lust building up to a point of no return for the girl.

The little vampire soon willed herself to draw in a deep breath as she pushed herself away from the counter. The thick and soupy air was hot against her collarbone, fingers slick as they pushed back the shower curtain- only slightly. She grasped the plush grey towel that she had found on Aubrey's side of the room, knowing that the girl was abundantly confused about what had gone on a few hours ago.

The blonde had crawled back under her covers without so much as a word. If Beca had done her job right, she wouldn't even question her willingness for a late-night study. The ginger sucked in a deep breath as her steeled eyes widened. She didn't bother covering herself up as Beca pushed slightly on the faucet, turning the water off completely. A deep chill rocked the girl's body as the brunette draped the fabric over her friend's shoulders.

Chloe didn't mind the closeness. She felt numb, her heart still pounding in her ears as she got a good look at the girl next to her. Her lip had been busted by something, a red line cut close to the corner of her expression, the wound having healed awhile ago- but it was left with the rustic branding.

"What?" Beca asked softly, running her hands over Chloe's shoulders. She noticed the girl staring absently, those deep eyes sending chills down her spine as she tried to speak.

"Nothing," Chloe mustered. Her touch was gentle as she easily wiped the red away from her counterpart's face, Beca shockingly leaning into the warm touch that the girl had to offer. "You're bleeding."

Beca's own fingers rose up as she wrapped them around Chloe's trying her hardest not to stare down at the girl's toned body. She was built for digging a grave, obviously taking more than enough care of herself with her strict way of life. Beca's thumb pressed lightly against the girl's palm, slowly lowering her touch. "It's okay."

Chloe sniffed and nodded as the girl mentioned something about getting some clothes on her, not that she didn't' appreciate the view. The taller girl didn't' acknowledge the comment as she slowly pulled a t-shirt and sweatpants on, not bothering with a bra or underwear. She wanted to curl up, to not deal with the police tape and missing posters that were sure to surface over the next couple of weeks.

The two quietly stalked back towards the dorm room, Aubrey being fast asleep as the sun started to peak out from the broken blinds that they had hung up. Beca had changed the sheets while Chloe calmed herself earlier, the girl wanting nothing more than to be close to the brunette.

Beca's fingers pressed lightly against the edge of Chloe's ribs, the girl breathing in the soft scent that she emitted. Everything about her was docile despite her inhuman nature. Her dark eyes darted towards the sleeping girl in the bed that was parallel to the gingers. She had her hand resting lazily on her stomach, raising up and down as a bit of drool dripped past her lips.

"Come on," Beca whispered, careful not to wake anyone up. The sun started to peak through the edge of the blinds. Part of her knew that she would be spending the bulk of the day here, cradling the girl who had just made her first real kill. Aubrey most likely sleeping past her alarm.

Chloe stood quietly as Beca peeled the duvet back, moving closer to the wall as she settled in, making sure the pillow propped her up a bit as Chloe watched her every movement, her arm outstretched as she pulled her fingers towards her. "Are you just going to stand there?"

The girl shook her head before she moved, pushing past the numb feeling that radiated against her stomach. That changed as soon as Beca's skin made contact with hers. It was a soft and gentle motion. The taller girl curled up into her side, again getting a strong sense of comfort from her scent as she buried her head in the crook of Beca's neck, a blanket being draped over her as warmth tried to fight off the chilling cold.

She let out a small mix between a whimper and a sigh as Beca traced little patterns on the small of the girls back without conviction. It was a nervous habit, one that she kept with her close. The vampire always needed some type of trinket in her hands like a penny or even a die. It was enough to keep her fingers busy.

"Beca?"

"Yes, Chloe?"

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Yes, Chloe."

There was a dead silence in the room. It hung heavy, the brunette clenching her eyes tight, knowing that her counterpart would beg for the answer to the follow-up question that pressed against her lips. There was no point for her to deny it. No point for her to cover up something that she had regretted.

"When you become something like us," She started apprehensively. "You lose a bit of the humanity that was instilled in you since you first started to walk and talk. It's just part of the demon nature. Your old self dies when your body does."

Chloe nodded, wrapping her fingers around the fabric that bunched at Beca's chest.

"I killed someone before I was a vampire." The girl finally admitted, Chloe's breath catching. "It was an accident, but it doesn't make the pain of feeling a human life slip through your fingers any better."

"What happened?" Chloe whispered, sounding out the words, really. "If you're okay to…"

"I'm fine, it was a long time ago." Beca cleared her throat, the vibration working through her chest. "I was seventeen years old. We had a rough winter, everything was ice for miles and miles. It was bad for the crops, but for those of us who actually attended school, it was amazing. We had some time to actually be kids, you know?

"I was with my best friend, Jake. He was a promising kid. Got good marks and was really charismatic. No one thought he would be limited to sticking around in town. He was a real city kid, that one. A salesman maybe, but no farmer."

Chloe stared up at Beca as she spoke, a certain glint in her eyes.

"Jake liked skating and dragged me along with him a lot. We spent most of our afternoons there, but when winter started to fade I hated the idea. The ice didn't feel as stable, and I was right. Still, I went against my judgment and pulled him out on the lake."

She swallowed roughly.

"The ice shattered, and he went down with it. I tried to pull him towards shore, but everything was really quick. The cold was overwhelming, and he kept trying to get me to let go of him- scratching and clawing until I was bleeding. He didn't' care about his own survival, only mine. I guess he got his wish because I couldn't…. I couldn't save him."

That strong silence was back. It was just as heavy as before, if not worse. There wasn't much Chloe could muster at this point. Beca had stopped tracing those little patterns against her skin, lost in a memory she had tried so hard to bury. A memory of a death that was nothing but a slight snow day gone wrong.

"Beca, I'm so-"

"Don't say sorry," She let out a sigh, tightening her grip around the girl. "It was a tragic thing. I know that. But something changed in me that day that made me who I am. Jake wouldn't want me to dwell too long on it. Just like you shouldn't put yourself through hell over something you couldn't control."

"I could have controlled it," Chloe whispered, voice drowsy as sleep started to take its nasty hold.

"No," Beca whispered softly, pulling Chloe closer as she fell deeper into exhaustions clutches. " _You couldn't have_."

 **[A/N: Okay, so wow. Emotional? Tell me what you think! I know this was such a heavy chapter, but I put a lot into it.]**


	13. Chapter 13

**The chair groaned** under Chloe's weight, her heart pounding roughly against the inside of her wrist as she kept her eyes trained on a stupid motivational poster. It was a cat, it's black and grey stripes complimenting big green eyes. They were stormy, the kitten's claws digging into the bark as the text right above those perky ears read hang in there.

Chloe couldn't' take it seriously. Maybe that type of thing cheered her up when she was getting her teeth cleaned in 5th grade, but now it seemed demeaning. She was a grown woman with her heart in her stomach as she sat in a doctor's office. The scent of antiseptic and blood was overwhelming- her stomach clenching.

"How much do you need?" The woman across from her asked, keeping the tip of her pen in her mouth. She had a pensive look on her face, biting down on the soft blue plastic. Chloe didn't' know the answer to that question, but she had learned pretty quickly that she couldn't waver with this woman.

The first time she met Gail, she wasn't herself. Not her true self. Of course, she wasn't sure what she was capable of now but she knew enough about the tainted doctor just by getting a good glance at her. "Four pints."

"Right," She sat forward, pressing the metal tip of the ink pen to a piece of paper as she wrote down something the girl couldn't completely distinguish. "That seems fair. I need four ounces back from you. Which shouldn't take much away from your energy considering."

Chloe drew in a breath, sinking into the leather seat as she bit the inside of her lip. She could taste the metallic edge that danced across her tongue but didn't say a word. She still hated needles, not really registering the process the first time. The woman across from her was quick to sense the worry.

"Does Beca know you're here, Chloe?"

"Do I have to inform her of everything?" Her tone was sharp and rigid. "I'm not her pet."

The woman hummed as she started to move through her cabinets as she fished out a kit to draw blood. Her fingers were accurate as she slid on the indigo gloves that fit so easily over outstretched fingers. She wasn't shocked by how hostile the girl was, instead, she just lifted her chin, getting Chloe to scoot closer.

She let out a shaky sigh as she outstretched the bulk of her arm over the corner of the desk, staring into those deep and soul revealing eyes that the cat poster had to offer. She didn't want to watch Gail break skin. The slight pinch against her arm made her wince, scrunching up her features in dismay as she averted her gaze to her boots instead.

Beca would murder her if she found out she was dealing with the devil. The girl was holed up in her math class right now, not keeping a firm tab on Chloe as she wandered away from the campus and into what the shorter girl would deem a trap.

Chloe didn't care at this point, the biting hunger that pulled at the corner of her mind had only grown since she killed Alex. A boy that she struggled to push to the side. He was someone she could never forget. The look of fear in his eyes felt like a dream, but it wasn't.

"It scares me that I liked it," Chloe whispered, knowing Gail wouldn't ask too many questions.

She had seen the missing posters taped to the street lights and heard about the little seminar the college was holding just to teach a new form of safety after another kid vanished into thin air. The doctor looked the other way, just like half the town did- still very aware of their little vampire problem.

"It shouldn't, Chloe." She said, voice softer "It's in your nature to kill now. You're used to the fresh taste of blood and Beca wants to mute that."

"you're saying she's not good for me?" Chloe knit her eyebrows together, regretting the decision to glance up from the ground. It was a fair and simple question that needed to be answered soon. She felt a wave of nausea fill her at the sight of a needle sticking out from a blue vein.

"No," She older woman chuckled, pressing a cotton cloth over the edge of the needle before slipping the metal edge out, a tight ache filling Chloe. "I'm saying she's all you know."

 **Their footfalls echoed** against the thick brick walls, a stilled silence between the two as Chloe pressed the pink plastic spoon into the soft serve. She wasn't usually this simple, never only sticking to vanilla but she asked her friend to grab whatever she wanted- knowing full and well Aubrey would stick with the two original flavors.

She had been sick to her stomach since the hospital, ironically of course. Her free hand was shoved in her pocket as she thought about how much she would rather stay in her dorm room- with Beca curled into her side.

The two of them hadn't talked about the day they spent in each other's arms, but they continued to push forward, drowning in their classes and keeping to themselves. Aubrey had pulled her away from the comfort of her own dorm and out into the city for the night- she had relented to a movie and some soft serve but was close to having enough.

"Hey Chlo," The taller blonde spoke up, licking the edge of her lip as she caught a spare drop of ice cream that dripped from the spoon. "Can we talk?"

"We've been talking all night, Bree." She laughed sarcastically, knowing exactly what they were about to discuss. The odd behavior and the late nights. Aubrey would push her towards blaming it all on the alternative girl that suddenly showed up in her life- which she was tempted to do herself.

"You know what I mean," She playfully pushed Chloe's shoulder, a smile still on her face. "You've just been different lately…"

"A bad different?"

"A confusing one." The blonde stopped, pressing her fingers to the edge of her hairline as she shoved her empty cup into the metal trash can. It made an odd and hollow sound as she quickly moved her palm back into her pocket to preserve warmth. "You and Beca make my head feel fuzzy, I think."

Chloe nodded, her mouth dry. She knew the brunette had a certain type of pull that she was reluctant to teach the redhead. Part of her knew why it threw people off to be controlled in the way that Aubrey had been- the library incident was something Chloe had shoved off too.

"I'm a very confident person," She continued carefully "But for some reason, it's taken me weeks to work up the nerve just to talk to you."

"Aubrey," The shorter girl reached her hand up, squeezing her friends palm softly. "You know you can talk to me about anything…"

"What happened that night?" her deep grey gaze was glossy, nose stuffed quickly with a combination of emotion and chilled night air.

There was a still silence between the two as she let out a deep breath, averting her gaze down to her boots once more. "Aubrey, I died."

 **[A/N: Oh my god, so is Chloe about to spill everything to Aubrey? It's about damn time.]**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Water dripped against**_ _the girls scrunched up features. Her stare so blue that it almost matched the clear edge of the very liquid she struggled to swallow. It wasn't a normal sight, seeing a shorter girl with a head of fiery red hair pulled back quickly against the cold edge of a stream._

 _She was standing on her tip-toes, the black converse she strapped to her feet had the tongue sticking out and laces unkempt. The once white strings now looked a sickly grey, just like the white shirt the girl wore. She was covered in dirt- the water making a streak against her cheek as she sniffed and dragged her forearm against her skin._

 _The stranger huffed, furrowing her brow as she looked at the water fountain. Chloe Beale had never learned how to drink from one. Not in her Eight years of life on this earth. She would rather stay thirsty and dry-mouthed than subject herself to this humiliation, even if the hallway is mostly empty._

 _"Do you not know how to tie your shoes either?" A snarky voice griped, making Chloe's chest tighten as she whipped her head to the right fast enough to make her lose a grip on which way was up._

 _She cocked an eyebrow at a girl who had clearly already hit her growth spurt. She was taller than Chloe, golden hair flowing over broad shoulders as a lanky girl stared at her with such grey eyes- grey eyes that looked almost white under the fluorescent lights._

 _"I uh," Chloe forced from her throat "I meant to do that, actually."_

 _"Did you?" The girl responded, not taking much thought to the hostility of the gingers. Instead, she knelt down on the tile floor and started to stitch up the laces that hung at Chloe's feet. She was too baffled to object, instead, she just obeyed when the stranger tapped her folded knee- gesturing for Chloe to put her foot on it. She did. "I'm Aubrey by the way."_

 _"Chloe," She said timidly "Thank you."_

 _"It would suck if you fell." Aubrey lifted her icy gaze up to meet Chloe's for a few seconds, a smile poking through her lips. "I've been there before."_

 _"Yeah," The smaller girl returned the smile as Aubrey straightened herself up, brushing her hands against her jeans. "I've been there."_

 _"After lunch, I can teach you how to use one of those things if you want." The blonde suddenly seemed to grow shy as she knit her fingers behind her back, rocking as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. "You know… if you wanna sit with me or something. I'm just new here and-"_

 _"I would love to, Aubrey." Chloe cut her new friend off, lifting her chin towards the water fountain. "But don't bother with that. I'll never learn."_

 **She carried that** same pensive stare that she did all those years ago, her grey eyes almost ghostly as she parted her lips slightly. It made Chloe want to close in on herself, to forget about the words that she had just uttered. It wasn't like she had forgotten to tie her shoes like she did for most of the elementary school and into middle- this was serious. This was something that Aubrey didn't know how to respond to.

She couldn't even pull air into her lungs, the taste of heavy cream and chocolate still on her lips as she breath pooled in a sharp cloud in front of her. She knew Chloe expected her to speak, to say something other than gawk at her like a zoo animal.

"You're uh," She finally whispered, "You're joking right?"

Chloe was silent. She wished with every ounce of her that she was joking. That she had never taken that job and pushed the metal edge of the shovel into the soil that day. She wished that she never shoved that taser into Beca's abdomen or waited long enough to hear her story. She wished she didn't die.

"No, I-" she fought past the lump in her throat "Aubrey, you think I would lie about something like that?"

"How?" was all the older girl said, staring down at the sidewalk. Her eyes were glossy now, something that twisted the worms in Chloe's stomach even more. They would never dull, not while she dug her nails into the soft skin of her palm. "I-I mean did you go to the hospital? Is that why you weren't answering your phone that night? Because you fucking died?"

Her words were a mix of anger and pure misery. She got like this sometimes, flattened by the pure truth and the serious nature of the situation. It was usually attributed to something her father had done- but Chloe was never the cause. She was always to one to hug her friend close and bring her hot chocolate the way Aubrey loved it, with cinnamon on top.

"Gallagher." Was all Aubrey hissed through clenched teeth, the movement of her eyes causing a single tear to streak against clear skin. "What did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"Bree," Chloe let out a soft breath, running a shaky hand through knotted hair. "It wasn't Gallagher. He's a nice guy… it was Beca."

"Beca?" She growled now, an inhuman sound for such a mortal girl. "Beca fucking Mitchell?"

Chloe nodded dumbly, knowing she needed to give her friend a moment.

"How are you here, huh? If you really died… and they brought you back to the hospital then you wouldn't be here right now, would you? Not in town or getting ice cream with me. I don't… I don't get it."

She was spiraling, breathing heavily as Chloe quickly grasped her elbow, her touch soothing the woman almost instantly despite its cold nature. Chloe was still a calming person- even though her thoughts were anything but. "Aubrey, listen to me. Can you do that?"

The girl whimpered as she nodded, sniffing against the cold as she swallowed roughly- staring into Chloe's eyes with such intent that it made the girl feel like she was on trial. Aubrey would be a great lawyer.

"When I went to my first shift a month ago, I was stupid. Stupid for not listening for Gallagher when he told me to turn the other cheek if I saw anything. I… I thought I was strong enough to handle anything that was really there."

"Like a grave robber?" Aubrey asked voice pitched with worry.

"Like Beca." Chloe sounded out, swallowing "She's my cat."

"Your what?"

Chloe let out a groan of frustration. "I have to stop using that as an example. Only Arum knows what the hell I'm talking about."

"Your Greek Mythology professor?" She shook her head in confusion "Chloe what the hell is going on?"

Her friend was staring down at the ground, mind racing. She was suddenly understanding why it was so hard for Beca to give her this talk earlier last month. It was demoralizing. How did you explain to someone that everything they knew was wrong? Everything they tried to repress would come rushing back in an odd flash. She was hesitating enough for Aubrey to pull away a bit, but Chloe had a form hold.

"Beca's mom murdered me last month." She finally spoke, taking her finger and looping it against her collar before pulling it back to reveal the ghost of a bite that stretched across her shoulder and neck. "She sunk her teeth into my neck and ripped out my jugular like a fucking wild animal."

A sharp intake of breath snapped Chloe back into being calm, into speaking to Aubrey softly instead of taking out her frustrations. The blonde's fingers shook as she pressed them against the indentation that was forever there.

"Beca should have let me die that night, but she didn't. I… I don't know how she did it because she doesn't want to tell me, but she did. She saved me and now I'm here. I'm here and I'm stuck like this."

"Like what?" Aubrey drew her touch back as Chloe let the fabric fall back over the scar.

The red-head drew in a sharp breath as she clenched her eyes shut. She was playing with fire, putting down walls that Beca had convinced her to brick up. The hunger shining through just enough for a familiar pressure to from under her eyes, her jaw aching as she scrunched up her face in pain. Aubrey cocking her head to the side as she waited patiently.

The girl finally opened her eyes, the once blue color having seemed to a sharp crimson that could cut glass. Her lips parting slightly as her canine teeth continued to stretch until they looked more like a demon's and less like a college girl. She hadn't even seen herself like this, never giving up to look in the mirror- yet here she was, showing her darkest self.

Aubrey swallowed roughly, eyes searching her features as she ran her fingers over Chloe's lips, her own parted slightly as she struggled to take in exactly what she was seeing, her thumb running slightly under Chloe's eye as the girl leaned into her touch, not having felt anything like this in such a long time- an embrace she hadn't let anyone conjure.

"Chlo," She whispered, voice broken.

A smooth sob moved from Chloe's chest, it was unwarranted, pushing past her throat as Aubrey wrapped her strong grasp around the smaller girl, letting her press into her chest as tears soaked into the fabric, wicking enough to make a slight chill overtake the blonde.

"I know," She whispered, running her hand against her friends back, even though she had no clue.


	15. Chapter 15

**"You what?" Beca's voice** was loud and booming against the café walls, the scent of coffee not as overwhelming as it once was for the two girls who sat in their usual corner. Chloe was unusually chipper despite the Russian Lit exam that she struggled to cram for as Beca picked at a cranberry muffin.

Her back was against the wall, head resting under a picture of a jar of honey- it's orange and golden colors amplified by the overhead light that was projected. She didn't' seem to shift against the edge of the frame that dug into her shoulder, instead, she moved one of her outstretched legs down to the floor. The other still rested on the red upholstered chair.

She smiled sheepishly as a few people returned to their own studies. Her cheeks were red as she let out a small and struggled breath, squeezing the bridge of her nose. "Chloe, this town is very aware of the undead, if I haven't stressed that enough. Crumbling under Posen's issues is not something that we can afford."

"She won't tell anyone," Chloe said, matter-of-factly, reaching her hand across the table to sneak a cranberry from the bran muffin. Beca grumbled, slapping the girl's hand away. "Aubrey is a military kid. She takes things well."

"I'm not worried about her mental state," Beca mumbled, feeling a bit insensitive "I'm sure blondie can handle herself, but you've just given the woman even more cause to rip my throat out with her teeth."

"She's not a werewolf, Beca." Chloe laughed, her deep blue eyes meeting those of her counterpart. They were sullen, deadpanned as the taller woman perked up in her seat. "She's not, right?"

"You're right," The brunette waved her off "Aubrey could never be a werewolf."

She had a playful smile on her lips as she laughed, throwing the ginger off. She had heard Beca chuckle once or twice, but it always had a dry and sarcastic nature to it. Now seemed genuine, and Chloe felt a warmness at her core from the sound. It made her smile herself.

"I'm not kidding!" Chloe spoke up, "What makes them so out of reach?"

"Nothing," The girl hiccupped at the end of her laugh, causing the grin to grow. "Honestly, nothing. It's just… I've known Aubrey Posen for a good two months and I know that girls got a control issue. From what I've heard, werewolves have anything but control."

Chloe grimaced, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea made her laugh. Her blonde best friend wasn't one to crave being at the mercy of anything, especially not the moon. She didn't even handle shark week well- much less shifting into a beast.

"Besides, they're very mean." Beca pouted "Not vengeful, but damn are they mean."

"Aubrey can be mean," Chloe pointed out, gulping down her coffee "Aubrey can be a lot of things-"

"All good, I hope." The voice caught both girl's attention, they were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't catch the blonde pull herself in from the rain. Her black pea coat was soaked, hair adhered to her forehead as deep olive eyes searched the women.

Beca stared up at the woman, chewing absently on whatever was left from the only bite she took from the pastry in front of her. She swallowed roughly, getting a good look at the dark circles under the girls, she hadn't been sleeping.

"Scoot," The woman grumbled, Chloe, crumbling under the rough stare as she pressed herself closer to the wall, Aubrey lowering into the seat as an eerie quiet moved through the café. It wasn't something that Chloe liked, nor provoked. "We need to talk."

"We as in we, we, or we as in we _?_ " the ginger mumbled into her mug as the woman across from her gave her a jarring look.

" _All of us._ " She said, letting out a thick sigh. "I want to know how."

"I told you how," the girl said as she ran a hand through her hair roughly. "She bit me."

"I did not," Beca grumbled, groaned really. She slammed her head on the table, realizing that she never really recounted the night at all. Not to Chloe, or herself. It was an extensive process to allow anyone to become a vampire, and the red-head was so close to the line that death had drawn.

"Sorry, her evil bitch of a mom bit me." Chloe corrected.

"Oh, so the mother-in-law stereotype lives up to code?"

Both girls whipped their stares back to the blonde who took the rest of Beca's muffin, not waiting for the okay, but no one really cared to begin with. Chloe's mouth was dry, like copper as she squinted her eyes. _"The what?"_

"Please, I know both of you heard me, right?" She asked, staring up from the food she was so interested in. "You both have that… that hearing thing?"

Aubrey waved her hand weirdly by her ear as Beca blinked a few times, shaking her head as she stared at Chloe, shrugging her shoulders softly. "No, we heard you. I just don't think I-"

"Someone as aged as you should know what I mean, Beca Mitchell." She snapped her stare up, the vampire leaning back into her seat. "Oh yeah, I did my research. You are one old son of a bitch."

"Can we skip this talk?" Beca pleaded, pressing her fingers against her hairline.

"Wait, I want to circle back." Chloe was still in a world of her own.

"Forget it," Aubrey grumbled, leaning back in her own seat. "Your mother… does she know about Chloe?"

Beca deadpanned again, her lowly eyes darkening once more. She didn't' exactly know how to answer that question. Did her mother know? Not the blatant truth, but it was certainly apparent that her daughter was hiding something. "I suppose not."

"You suppose?" The blonde lifted up her eyebrows. "You already killed my best friend once, I don't want you to suppose anything. I want you to know."

"She didn't kill me."

"I didn't kill her."

The two girls spoke at the same time, meeting gazes once more as Aubrey drew in a sharp breath. "Whatever, I'm just… all I'm saying is, I want her to be safe. From now on I want her to be safe."

"She is safe with me." Beca spoke, "You know that, right? I'm doing my best to coach her through this, But Aubrey, it is different for every single person. Chloe will have her own struggles that I can't help her with."

"Is she dangerous?"

"She is right here," Chloe grumbled, having finished off her coffee a good few minutes ago. She didn't have the energy to go up and order a new one. Instead, she averted her gaze to the different colored highlighters that were ready for when she actually wanted to study- and she didn't. Her friends were having a metaphorical pissing match, neither seeming to back down as the tension filled the air.

"Well, is she?"

"We're all a little dangerous, Aubrey." Beca leaned closer, "If I remember correctly, it's your species that has a little problem with war and carnage. Not mine."

"That's not my point." The blonde hissed through clenched teeth, a heat returning to her stare. "I want to know if I can sleep without getting my throat ripped out."

"Bree," Chloe placed her hand on the girl's thigh, pretending not to notice the slight drawn back nature that met her at the sudden touch. "You're my friend, alright? Since elementary school I have never done anything to intentionally hurt you. That will never change."

Deep olive eyes stared into steely ones. Chloe seemed desperate, not wanting to lose someone else due to a night in a graveyard. It carried around a thick edge and made her ache for human contact, any type of contact that wasn't shrouded in fear and pain. Those very eyes moved back to Beca's.

"You heard her, Posen." The vampire shrugged "her word is enough for me, it should be the same for you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Her touch was** soft and subtle, something Beca was anything but. The shorter girl had a god complex, it seemed, always carrying herself with so much confidence and not enough vulnerability. For all Chloe knew, the only weakness she had was a complicated family. She never seemed to let the blood get to her, or the pain of living for eternity. She was just silent. Silent and brooding- except when she wasn't.

"Bec's, you do realize I was more than capable of walking myself home." The red-head chided, shaking her head as she shoved her hands in her pockets outside of her dorm room.

The two of them had spent the afternoon actually studying, losing track of time as the sun set behind the blinds that the library invested so much money in. They didn't even realize that it was so late, their focus on the subjects in front of them- Chloe's mind wondering as she glanced at Beca every now and then.

"I know," She shrugged her leather jacketed shoulders "I just… thought you wanted some company."

"It didn't hurt." Chloe smiled back, shoving her own hands in her pea coat. The deep pink color contrasted with dark blue eyes. They had slowly been deepening in hue, something Beca had been noticing the more she stared. The night she first met Chloe they were such a pale and striking blue that they almost looked silver. Now they were indigo. "Hey, uh"

Chloe cleared the air for a serious conversation as her tone of voice shifted from casual to something more. It was husky, darker just like her gaze. Beca lifted a brow, not quite sure if it was because of a new-found hunger, or something more.

"Is there any substance to what Bree was saying?" She finally forced the words past her diaphragm.

Beca stared at the girl for a few moments, her bottom lip between her teeth as she pondered what the met exactly. Aubrey had said a lot of things the other day- all forgotten once they left the coffee house and went their separate ways for the rest of the remaining daylight.

"You're not going to grow violent towards her." Beca finally sounded out "part of humanity relies in the roots that you form, and from what I've heard, you and blonde Barbie in there have a lot of them."

Chloe scowled softly at the nickname but scrunched her face up like there was something more. "No, I mean… the other stuff she was talking about. About us."

"Oh," Beca knit her eyebrows together averting her gaze before moving it back up with a snap. "Oh!"

The ginger chuckled, it was a soothing and light sound that made heat quell up in Beca's stomach as it pressed against her cheeks. "God, Beca for being 126 years old, you're pretty dense."

"I am not dense," Beca said, shaking her head as she blew out a puff of air, plunging them into a deep silence again. She felt like a teenager, like someone who had been given the chance to get with the cheerleader who would otherwise never go for the girl that wrote poetry in a slack leather-bound notebook. Chloe was chewing the inside of her lip, knitting her eyebrows together as she leaned heavily against the door.

"I'm oblivious, but I am not dense." She shook her head nervously "I have had… I mean girls just swoon, I'm a real panty dropper Chloe Beale and-"

Beca was suddenly caught in her words as soft lips pressed roughly against hers- she drew in a sharp breath, she was frozen both in fear and lust as her fingertips pressed lightly against the girl's jaw, skin soft as she finally melted into the embrace. Chloe felt so safe, so needed and warm despite how cold Beca's touch really was.

It was simple but effective in shutting the vampire up, her breath uneven as Chloe finally pulled away. "You talk too fucking much, Mitchell. You know that?"

 **Beca leaned heavily** against the edge of the desk, her feet barely touching the ground as she clenched her jaw, palming the glass paperweight that Aurum kept over some random documents that she had yet to grade. The woman leaning back in her own chair as she eyed the smaller girl cautiously.

The windows were dark, the sun setting behind a deep golden sun. At one point, Beca had loved the scene of a slowly setting start, but now? Now she wished for more daylight- almost craved it like the blood that kept her alive.

"You kissed her?"

"She kissed me."

"Same thing."

She heard a scoff behind her, not necessarily taking her eyes off of the glassy orb in her grasp. It was unnecessary, something to keep papers in place in a room with windows that couldn't open or shift. There was no sane reason to keep it around- making Beca want to drop it onto the carpeted floor just to see if it would shatter. It wouldn't.

"You realize you will have to tell your mother," Christina spoke, her voice light and airy despite the undeniable situation that they spoke of. "If you fall for this… this girl, then you'll have to inform her."

Beca let out a thick groan, hopping off the desk as she placed the weight down with a low thumb. Her breath was short, clenching her jaw. She didn't have very much patience to for the situation at hand. Her mother would figure out at one point or another- enjoying the human life too much to keep a handle on her daughters exploration of a year at a trade school.

"I know you're here advisor." The woman thought out loud, pacing back and forth against the length of the small office, her eyes darting towards the books every now and then. "But you've been mine for a while too… and I trust-"

"I won't tell her," Christina spoke with confidence, running her hand against pitch black hair. She looked like a witch- a witch with unforgivable green eyes and a sharp stance on anything that was placed in front of her.

She had been such a close friend for most of Beca's afterlife.

"I appreciate that," Beca mumbled, flopping down into the leather chair across from her advisor.

"I said I wouldn't tell her, Bec's" Professor Aurum let out a thick sigh "But you know I cannot lie to your mother, or you in any right."

The smaller girl bit the inside of her lip, not going as far as to feel the metallic edge against her tongue. Instead, she just sat there- the heart rate was a dead giveaway. Christina was taught to tell the truth through everything, the repercussions for disobeying much worse than the pain truth would lend her.

There was no comfort in her words.

"You really like this girl?" She spoke, more of a statement than a question.

"I do," Beca finally sounded out. "She can't get hurt, Chris."

"She won't." The woman clenched her jaw. "you'll make sure of it."


	17. Chapter 17

_**The girl's lips**_ _pressed hungrily against Beca's, a low growl escaping the dark-haired woman's throat as Victoria moved her knee closer to her core. The ground was cold_ under _the shorter woman, her breath hot compared to the chilly night air. It formed with stark condensation, her words shaky._

 _"Vic," Beca purred between the biting and nipping_ as _the green-eyed woman dug her teeth slightly into the girl's collarbone, another growl escaping her throat with little force as she shivered under Beca's subtle touch. "I can't."_

 _Victoria pulled back quickly, trying to catch her breath as she leaned heavily against the loose dirt- her features sharp, but delicate as the orange glow of the fire shaded her expression. Her lips red with slight irritation from the chaste movements she had pressed against Beca moments before- the taut scent of burning wood coated both of their lungs._

 _The small clearing that the two had settled in was a high traffic area during the spring- flowers budding into a sea of red poppies and sweetgrass. But in the winter, it was desolate, the ground cold and hard, even with a thinly spread blanket. The trees around them bathed in a warm glow that would attract people if any of them gave a second thought to the two girls._

 _"I'm sorry, I-"The taller woman ran a hand through her pitch hair, the waves falling over her shoulders like tar. "Are you feeling okay?"_

 _"I'm fine." Beca lied, nodding to drive home her words. She was pale, her lips a subtle grey as the sickness that she had been carrying for months now ravished her body. It was easy to ignore the chills and nausea by now, but she could never shake a cough- a cough that produced neon red blood in a clammy hand every time she pulled her palm from her lips. "I can't risk you getting sick."_

 _"Beca," She chuckled, the sound light and airy despite her dark appearance. "If I were to get sick, it would have happened by now, yeah?"_

 _"I suppose." Beca pulled herself up, crossing her legs in front of her as she rolled her shoulder- it was stiff, the girl pooling on the ground wasn't doing much for her already pain-filled arms. She stared down at her hands, idling a piece of grass around between her fingers. "I'm just worried. You're not immune, Vic. You just haven't caught it yet. Not like half the town has."_

 _"You think I will?" she asked, sitting up herself, running her sweat filled hands against her pants as she sat adjacent from Beca, staring at the shaking girl with content._ Concern _, but content. "This town… its oblivious to what is going on."_

 _"Consumption?"_

 _"Vampires." Victoria cracked a smile. "Well, demons."_

 _"You're not paying any stock to those rumors, are you?" Beca asked, knitting her eyebrows together. She had heard them too- people talking about how fast the illness was ripping through town, starting with the Mitchell family. The brunette swallowing the lump in her throat as she glanced away. She had already lost her mother- the scorned looks and murmurs not helping her case._

 _"Beca, no" Victoria whispered, grasping her girlfriends hand in hers. Her touch was soft and warm compared to the frigid one the smaller girl carried. "I'm not… You're not a demon, alright? I feel like you would notice if you were undead."_

 _"Yeah, well, I feel like I am." She scoffed, her breath catching in her throat. The familiar pull ripped through her as she raised her fingers to her mouth, coughing violently as her chest filled with a rough ache, one that made her eyes water as a metallic edge coated her tongue. She struggled to swallow it back as a warm hand rubbed small circles on her back._

 _Beca breathed in carefully, the cold air cooling her throat as she stared down at the wine colored liquid that coated her fingers. She grimaced away from the color. Part of her wanted to protest the closeness of the girl next to her, but the instant calmness that filled her at the subtle touch was enough to silence her._

 _"What if you were?" Victoria finally whispered after a few moments of near silence, teary eyes moving up to budding ones. They were tender and caring, the woman's lips slightly parted._

 _"What?" Beca forced past her lips, a slight burn still resonating within her lungs._

 _"Beca," Victoria swallowed thickly, not pulling her stare away from the younger girl. "Will you let me kill you?"_

 **The scent of burning** wood moved through the dining room, logs placed softly in the stone-clad fireplace folded under the mercy of the flames, bringing a certain edge of warmth to the large area. It was darker and colder than the last time Beca had set foot into the house that she owned.

She had bought the place on a whim, it was being foreclosed on, easy to purchase without catching too much attention. She didn't even have to go through a realtor, instead, she bought it blindly, paying in cash.

Moving back into the dorms at Barden was a far cry from the large home, but it was almost more comforting- not having to deal with the multiple empty rooms and the study that she had spent most of her time in when she did sleep here. The books still remained, the tiny brunette aching for them in a way.

Beca adjusted herself uncomfortably against the cold of the large mahogany chair, her other hand messing with the dinner fork that she had yet to tear into the steak with. The scent of freshly cooked meat was thick in her lungs as she stared down at it- knowing it was mostly pink inside.

Jesse had no trouble shoving aside his anxiety as she bit down on a baby carrot that had been fully cooked through, his focus on cutting the prime edge of beef down to chewable bites as Beca swallowed down her own uneasiness. Her mother shouldn't scare her this much- two months ago she was six-feet-under and swallowing dirt for most of her meals. Now she sat with poised composure, beaming down at the food in front of her.

Beca Mitchell's mother hadn't aged past 35, her features soft and caring despite an underlying coldness beneath grey eyes. She sat up straight, dawning a nice blouse for her families Sunday dinner. Like this was nothing. It was supposed to be nothing.

Instead of focusing on her food, Beca raised the glass of amber campaign to her lips, wishing for a stronger effect in alcohol that she consumed. It took a lot more than a 300 dollar bottle of Armand de Brignac to give the girl a buzz.

"Beca, sweetie." She spoke with utmost precision. "How are your classes going?"

She almost choked, snorting into her glass as she pulled the rim away from her lips, struggling to swallow back the bubbles that pressed so heavily into her throat. She cocked an eyebrow, "It's fine. Classes are fine."

Jesse chewed slowly now, staring at his sister and mother with curiosity.

Beca set the glass down, putting her hands in her lap as she chewed on her bottom lip. She felt like a kid who got a bad grade on a literacy test. The looming grey stare her mother produced was enough to get her to cower. Beca Mitchell wishing more than anything that she could curl up in her dorm room and not suffer through a casual meal with who she considered the devil.

"And the girl?" Blair said with a bit of breathiness to her words, she wasn't staring at her daughter, instead, she was pressing a steak knife into freshly cooked meat, the sound of metal against porcelain making Beca cringe.

Her heart clenched, lips parting slightly as Jesse struggled to keep from hacking on his own food, he set the fork down, looking towards his mother. "What are you talking about?"

She chuckled lightly, shaking her head as she shot her stare towards her daughter who looked greener than usual. "Beca, darling, did you think I wouldn't notice your little pet wandering around town?"

She didn't say anything, she couldn't muster words or formulating thoughts. A slight noise escaped her throat, a mix between a growl and a gasp that sounds more like she was choking. The food she did consume threatened to make a reappearance.

 _"Pet?"_

"That Beale girl," She waved her fork around in the air. "Callie? Christina?"

"Chloe," Beca corrected, clearing her throat. "How uh… You're okay with this?"

"You're not 18 anymore, darling." She spoke, shoving the pointed ends of her fork into the steak with a thud. "If you want to tramp around with a human, be my guest."

"Huma-"Jesse spoke, knitting his eyebrows together as a pointed edge of a boot shoved into his knee, shifting the whole table. Blair looking at her children with concern as the boy hissed through clenched teeth. "Yes, human. She's a nice one. Pure."

"Just don't break her, okay?" Blair laughed with a lazy smile. "You know how fragile humans can be."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chloe paced the** small office, her arms crossed over her chest as her right hand played with her bottom lip pensively. The ginger had never been one to show her nerves- it would always radiate in other ways, pushing past her personality in a bubbly fast-talking edge. But now? Now she was burning a hole in Dr. Abernathy's carpet.

The blonde woman leaned back in her seat- watching the new vampire carefully. Her chair groaned but she didn't speak just yet, a pen still halfway clenched in her hand. She had written down some information that Chloe didn't' care too much about. She didn't want to snoop, even if it was about her blood in specific.

"I shouldn't feel like this." She continued to walk to the right corner of the room, pausing momentarily. "This… this urge to have something more when you're- oh god."

"You're spiraling," Gail mumbled into her work. "It's interesting to know that vampires can still have panic attacks."

"Of course, I can still have a panic attack." Chloe stopped suddenly, flashing her gaze to the woman. The two had worked up to a friendly banter over the months. Chloe would stop by when she couldn't handle the bloodlust- the sharp and unforgiving pain of hunger. Gail had grown used to the young girl's company. "I had one after Beca and I kissed."

 _"You what?"_

Chloe let out a long breath as she flopped down in the seat, running her fingers softly over the edge of the chair. The fabric cold and unforgivable. "We kissed." She leaned forward a bit "Can I have a lollipop?" Her eyes flashed towards the large dish of candy on the other end of the mahogany desk. z

"No, you can not have a lollipop," She spoke, the glass making a rough sound against the wood as she pushed it further out of the girls reach. "Lollipops are for people who don't kiss my natural sworn enemies."

The ginger huffed as she pressed her back further against the chair, her bottom lip jutting out like she was about to whine. She didn't. Instead, she asked a simple question. "Why do you two hate each other so much anyway?"

She remembered quickly how the first time she met the woman, Beca had her slammed up against the wall in anger. Of course, she couldn't remember most of it, but she remembered enough. The rage in her eyes and pain in her stance. But she had never prodded.

"It's a long story." She cracked a smile. "I'm sure hers differs from mine, greatly."

"Most of them are." She shrugged her shoulders "It's good that I was murdered in a graveyard and have all the time in the world, right?"

"Chloe," Gail warned.

"Alright, alright." She relented "It's just… There are so many secrets, you know? I get what I am, and who I am now. But everything else is so blurry."

Gail was silent then, nodding softly as she plunged into her thoughts. She didn't attempt to pick her pen back up or add more to those awful notes she was scratching down. It was true, what they say about doctors, their handwriting is shit, but their minds are brilliant.

"I kissed her and I don't even know who she is."

"You've heard the legends, Chloe."

"Legends aren't facts." She pointed out, "Legends are about swamp monsters and wolf-men that creep in swamps and rip people to shreds. Beca doesn't seem like a legend."

"Maybe not one so futile." She chuckled softly "But that lore… those stories and tales are all based on something. Men turned into monsters and monsters turned into men have been alive in the history books for a long time, Chloe. But they didn't' just appear from nothing."

There was an odd silence around the room, the immortal girl listening to the steady heartbeat that Dr. Abernathy possessed. "You're telling me… that somewhere out there, a lizard person could exist?"

"Kanima," She let out a laugh.

"What?"

"A Kanima," Gail clicked her pen as she turned her attention back to her notes. "They're called Kanima's. Half lizards, half humans."

"Oh." Chloe shrunk "That's nice."

 **Her back slammed** roughly against the brick wall, a thick earthy scent clouding Chloe's lung as she drew in a well thought out breath. She was on the defensive, a deep pain quelling in her stomach as she let out a primal growl. She didn't flash her newfound fangs, not yet. They still pained her to even expose.

"Oh, don't be like that, sweetie." The male's voice sounded off in her ears. It made her semi-sick to her stomach. Jesse Mitchell was not her favorite person. She was sure the man hadn't made a good impression on her, but Beca didn't' even seem to warm up to her older brother without some discontent.

"What do you want?" She asked shoving the man off of her as she rolled her shoulders back in an attempt to gain some type of plausible feeling back in them. He wasn't on her good side at the moment, ambushing her with coffee still fresh in her grasp as she walked down Main back to the college.

"The same thing we all do," He said in a dreamy voice, shoving his hands in his pea-coat as he fell into step next to Chloe. She didn't bother changing her pace, instead, she rose her sweltering beverage to her lips. "A purpose in this everlasting life. One that will fill that burning desire that quells inside both mortal and demon."

"Ah," Chloe lifted her chin up, "That sounds like a personal quest, Buddy."

He rolled his eyes dramatically, which, let's face it, seemed to be a family trait for the Mitchell's. One that Chloe found quite endearing in some circumstances. This was not one of them, though. "My mother knows about you." Jesse deadpanned. "Since Beca doesn't have the pure sense to set her straight, I suppose I might as well warn you."

Chloe stopped in her tracks. "Warn me of?"

"Blair thinks that you're human, little vampire." Jesse pointed a finger at her, wiggling it around like a worm on the hot pavement after a huge thunderstorm. "She doesn't see you as a threat. But if she knows that you're on team V, then it's all downhill from there."

"She couldn't' possibly be threatened by me." The girl mumbled out, more in thought than to Beca's kin. He still cocked his head and listened with intent- parting his lips as he ran his fingers through his gelled hair. "I'm quite literally a nobody."

"While that's true," He chided out "You're still a distraction. My mother is very convinced that Beca could be something great if she just focused, and you? You're not part of that plan."

"So she could kill me because of control issues?" Chloe sounded out head swimming. The girl had just gained so normalcy in her life- some shred of feeling safe in Beca's arms. Fuck, it was just one kiss, but it had been building since the day in the graveyard- eating away at the back of her mind until the pressure and heat was too much. She wanted to do it again, and again, and again.

"That's what being a vampire is about, yes." Jesse laughed, even though there was no humor in the situation. "Supernatural or not, Blair has never been one to approve of Beca's love interests. Most of them end up dead, or they just vanish."

" _That means dead._ " Chloe hissed out, placing her back on the closest building. It was a newspaper place, one that was on the brink of shifting to just digital. No one read the paper anymore, there was no need to when the world was at your fingertips. But that didn't matter.

"She doesn't know she killed you." Jesse spoke out, "that night in the cemetery."

"She what?" The younger girl whispered flashing her eyes up to Jesse's.

"She was hungry," the soft-eyed boy gave her a lax stare. All of his sarcasm in cruelty was replaced with nothing but understanding. "I'm sure you can relate to that. You were a vein to tap, Chloe. She hadn't had any blood for centuries and you were the only human thing in the place."

"Yeah," She swallowed thickly "was."

"You adjust," He said soothingly, squeezing her shoulder. She let him, the touch comforting even if he was trying too hard, not really knowing what to do with the emotions that ran through both their minds. "Getting blood from Gail, however, is not one of those ways."

She paled at the statement, averting her deep blue gaze.

"I can smell it on your breath, Chloe." He let out a sigh "And if I can smell it, Beca will sure as hell be able to."


	19. Chapter 19

_**The thick metallic**_ _taste coated her taste buds, throat igniting in a sharp and fighting burn. With each second her stomach tightened all the more. It left a sour taste in her mouth, nose running, and skin coated in sweat. The sheets stuck to every inch of Beca's body. The room was humid, too humid for her to fold to any type of comfort._

 _Victoria grimaced, her sharp features shaded by the glowing candle- a scentless wax that filled the room with a dull shaded yellow. She didn't move to comfort Beca, knowing her counterpart would love nothing more than to heave in her own mess, having locked herself up in this room days ago._

 _She coughed, a dry and berated sound that made the young witch cringe as she dipped the white cloth into the bucket of cool water. It had grown warm over time, but it was still several degrees cooler than Beca was right now. She squeezed the fabric tight, letting the water run into the bucket before she leaned close to the girl._

 _Beca looked smaller than usual in the bed, the duvet clouded around her. She was pale, skin a sickly grey and coating in a layer of sweat. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her bearings. A bit of crimson blood collected at the corners of her mouth, something she didn't' have the effort to wipe away._

 _Victoria leaned against the side of the bed, her book put aside as she pushed the cloth against Beca's forehead, a sigh of relief pushing past her lungs. She wasn't even sure Beca knew she was there- or if Beca knew anything other than pain. It tore her apart, made her grief grow stronger each second._

 _"You know," She talked like she had been doing the last few hours. Even if Beca couldn't understand what she was saying, she saw her body language relax. "People told me that you weren't worth it."_

 _Victoria ran the cloth close to Beca's hairline. "That you were stubborn and crude and dying anyway. Because let's face it, Mitchell, your family does not have the best track record."_

 _She knit her eyebrows together, staring down towards the base of the bed. Her breath was soft as she draped the cloth over the edge of the bucket. Her chair creaked as she sat back. She was quiet, staring at the girl that kept her eyes clenched shut._

 _"I really hope there is a but somewhere in that sentence." Beca croaked out, dark green eyes shooting her way as Victoria all but flung herself at the woman. Her stare was propped open now, such a dull blue that they were almost considered grey. "Listing a woman's flaws while she' on her deathbed is a new level of cruel, Vic."_

 _Victoria blinked away the tears that formed in her eyes, forcing a laugh past her lips. "Beca Mitchell, you are worth it." She reached forward, grasping her girlfriend's hand as she held it close to her lips. "I wish you would… Will you consider it?"_

 _"Consider you plunging a knife into my chest?" She murmured, using her elbows to push herself up against the headboard, she shivered as the already heavy air coated her skin- squeezing the cool hand that gripped her harder._

 _"It sounds crazy when you put it that way." Victoria cowered into her words._

 _"That it does." Beca swallowed thickly, trying to quell the burn in her throat. "I don't want you to doubt yourself." She said slowly "But forgive me if I have reserves for a spell never done before."_

 _Victoria couldn't fault her for that. Despite the Mitchell's having their edge of rumors rushing around town, the Henry's were local herbalists. They had cures for common colds and broken bones. But consumption was never something they cold remedy. Not until now. Not until the youngest of them sat beside her only loves bed, begging her to take a chance._

 _"I'm dying." She whispered, staring ahead. "I probably don't have more than a few hours, maybe a day," Her voice cracked._

 _Beca Mitchell wasn't scared. She didn't' let the fear in, not when her mother fell into a strong sickness and was probably rolling over in her grave at the thought of her with a woman. Not when her father turned to drinking and holed himself away in the pub, not even when her brother took off towards Colorado to test his luck with health there. But death? Death was new, it was the end. It was unknown, and she didn't want to face it alone._

 _"I can't do it," She croaked out, "If I am meant to die, then I will, Victoria. We knew this was coming."_

 _She sniffed, not sure if it was because of the sickness, or because of the tears that were streaking against Victoria's perfect features. Again, she disregarded her own personal health and pulled herself closer, silencing Beca's protests as she tangled her hand in the woman's hair- pulling her forehead against the cold brunettes. "I can't lose you, Bec's."_

 _"Just stay with me," The girl said, swallowing back the sour taste in her mouth. "Please. Just stay."_

 **The air filled** her lungs as she opened her eyes to darkness- blinking rapidly to quell the anxiety in her chest. Her body was buzzing, chest heaving up and down as the residual effects of the memory continued to replay in her mind. The dreams had been more often, lately. Reminding her of the time that she wished she could forget.

Beca held herself up on her elbows, clenching her jaw as she raised her fingers to her cheek, wiping away the moisture that had collected against chilled skin. Her heart was against her throat at this point- the woman glancing haphazardly over to her sleeping roommate.

Amy snored, loudly at that. Her covers thrown down on the ground as she tossed every few minutes. She never woke though, just moved. Beca had grown used to it over the months, happy that her companion was such a heavy sleeper.

Chloe was another story; the girl was cuddled into her side the thick scent of strawberry shampoo clouding her lungs as she looked down at the woman close to her. She had groaned at the disturbance, flipping over to face the wall as she pulled the pillow into her arms in the absence of Beca. She wasn't meant to stay the night- but the two of them had studied long into the evening before relinquishing to the sleep that threatened to overtake them.

"Are you okay?" Chloe whispered sleepily.

"Yeah," Beca answered, not sure if the girl was fully awake. Her pulse was slow enough to consider her passed out. Maybe she was, but either way, Beca couldn't shake the edge that stuck with her, grasping her own pillow as she hugged it to her stomach. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

Chloe drew in a soft breath as she turned over to lay on her back, placing her hand under her head as she stared over at the girl. They didn't talk much after that initial kiss- both girls recoiling into themselves as they focused on their studies, and Beca made regular trips home, just to appease her mother. This was the closest they had allowed themselves to get in two weeks.

"Is this about Blair?" Chloe whispered, breathing in.

"For once, no." Beca let out a bitter chuckle, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder as Chloe let out a content sigh once the instant contact soothed her. She scooted down, pulling the object under her head as she laid on her side, staring deeply into blue eyes that were so prominent that they even showed in the complete pitch.

She traced Chloe's features with her eyes. The girl didn't look like a vampire. She didn't' look like she could use her sharpened canines to rip a man's jugular out. Her stare turned into a crimson color that is so unimaginable until it's the only meal that appeases the insatiable hunger. She was supposed to enjoying her junior year of college. She was supposed to be living a happy life with an uptight roommate and maybe a few drunken nights. But not this.

"Hey, Chlo?" She asked after a few strangled seconds.

"Yeah, Bec's."

"I'm sorry." Her mouth was dry as she stared into sullen eyes. "For turning you. For forcing you into this life when you-"She stalled "you don't deserve to survive this way."

Chloe was silent for a few moments, breathing soft enough to believe that her lungs were barely moving in the first place. She had a determined stare and thick edges. She didn't know what to say- not at first. Not while the girl she had fallen for had such a tortured stature.

"I didn't give you a choice, Chloe."

"You saved me," The redhead finally spoke, voice cracking uncannily. "I don't know what your mother did, or… or how she killed me but I know you gave me a choice that night. It's not like you were holding me against my will at gun-point Beca. I knew the dangers and I still followed you willingly."

Beca didn't say a word. She couldn't' bring her thoughts together. Instead, she watched as Chloe reached up gently and tucked a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. It was such a soft and simple gesture. "This is how I'm supposed to be." She whispered, "If I am meant to be this way than I will be."


	20. Chapter 20

**The crystal shattered** into a million pieces, a loud and unforgivable noise rocking through the study, its simple atmosphere breaking along with it. There always seemed to be an orange haze against the mahogany creating strong shadows that stretched close to a maroon carpet, the glass littering wood and fabric.

Beca drew in a long breath, sitting on the corner of the desk. She was propped up, leg folded along half of the table- a glass filled with amber liquid rested halfway to her lips, ice solid and edged as it clinked. She didn't flinch, instead lifting a pointed eyebrow at her mother.

Blair was always known to have a short temper, one that would go off at the most inopportune times. It was almost as if her labored silence was worse than if she would yell. Beca had become used to the outbursts at a young age, always picking up the pieces and sweeping up the glass. This time, she kept her steady stance.

She raised her own glass to her lips, taking a long and stinging gulp of bourbon. Blair's chest heaving as she steadied herself on the large stone mantle. Her jaw was clenched, grey eyes filled with an indescribable anger. "How dare you question my intentions?" She hissed lowly, knowing her daughter could hear her.

"Your intentions are blurred." Beca swallowed back the bitter taste that coated her tongue. She watched her mother with purpose- the usually composed woman was beside herself. Mumbling under her breath as she ran her hands over the top of her pleated pants. Like she had been cut by the shards, and the blood that ran thick wouldn't just leave a residue. She healed, she was able to regenerate faster than a human. There was no need to worry.

The brunette grimaced, setting her own beverage aside. She had lost her craving, staring down at the sprinkled glass that pushed into the plush carpet.

"Do you forget yourself?" Blair said.

Beca raised a brow at this. Had she forgotten her place? Back when they had stronger heartbeats, it was Blair that she feared. Not her father, her father was a pushover, her father would bend to the woman's stare and cave in at the mere mention of discontent. Then she died.

Beca remembered her funeral. It had rained characteristically that day. The air was cold and the soft soil smelled musty and sharp. She had hugged her coat around her frame and stared at the blades of grass that bent under the will of freezing perspiration. She clung to Jesse, her fingers intertwined with his as they listened to the low psalms the priest repeated. It was no use, no one was listening. She remembered feeling guilty that day. Not because her mother had perished, but because of the relief she was met with when she did.

"I don't believe I have," her voice was steady, the sour taste of alcohol still lodged in her throat.

"You _turned_ her."

"No, I saved her."

It almost hurt to say. She had saved Chloe, but she had also doomed her to a life of cold complexity that the young girl couldn't' quite understand just yet. Sure, immortality was shiny at first. It was invigorating and filled with power- but the novelty would wear off in a few centuries when her family grows old and her friends get start having grandchildren. Friends, she can no longer contact because no amount of moisturizer could cover up her unchanged looks.

"By blatantly disobeying me." She drew in a careful breath "what gives you the right?"

Beca couldn't stop the scoff that fell from her lips as simple as a child dropping their sweets in a grocery store. It was left covered in lint or whatever wasn't swept up from the day before. The candy was still there, sure, but it was impossible to recover, not without some type of disease attached and simmering.

"What gives me the _right?_ " Beca stood, setting the glass down carefully on the mahogany table. It was imported, she liked it. There was glass under her feet that crunched as she walked so close to her mother, she could practically taste the blood of her last meal, smell the soil from something more. "You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me."

"I would have found a way."

"Right, and through who? Your little witchy pet Aurum? Because mother I hate to break it to you but she's near useless when it comes to resurrecting the dead." Beca swallowed, trying to even out her anger. "It took me nearly 130 years to get you back and you want to what? Bare your fangs and forget your control?"

Blair studied her. The woman had once brought great fear to Beca but now she looked frail in the fires shattered light. Her cheeks were sunken in and there was dirt under her nails that Beca had a hard time looking past. She swallowed loudly and rolled her shoulders back almost like her blouse didn't' fit correctly. It didn't.

She raised her hand, much like she did when Beca was young, preemptive to strike with an open palm. Beca grasped her wrist a low edge of a growl on her lips. "Chloe is untouched, do you understand me?" She squeezed, applying pressure "So is Jesse, and so am I."

Blair watched with widened grey eyes and Beca dropped the woman's hand and picked her glass back up from the table, tipping her head back and swallowing the alcohol in one fail swoop of the tongue. She walked away from the fire and the woman who had the power to control it, fingers trembling in a dark rush. "Clean up your mess, please."

Beca let the door slam behind her as she pressed her back against the cold mahogany, trying to catch her breath. Maybe it was the dangerous amount of alcohol in her system or the strange leverage of nearly a century on her mother but something pushed her to fight back- to warn her against hurting the newly turned, to protect Chloe Beale of all people.

 **The flyer had** been a pumpkin orange, noticeable and ugly against the brown telephone poles and muddy brick walls that framed Barden. Most of them had left a neon stain behind as the rain and the soon fallen snow washed away the thought of a once prominent problem. Now an ugly orange flyer was blocking the view of her chemistry text.

She recognized that face, that simple and innocent expression that hadn't been done much justice with the schools' printer. It listed his height, and weight, and what he was last seen wearing. A black logo t-shirt that had soaked up the blood better than she expected.

Her throat tightened at the memory as she inhaled sharply and slammed the book shut so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore. It would loud enough to catch a few glares from students trying to focus on studying. Chloe's eyes met icy blue ones.

"Bree?"

The blonde looked hurt, ravished by her own emotion. Chloe hadn't quite learned how to pick up on heartbeats yet or smell emotion like Beca said she would eventually master, but she didn't' need her newfound abilities to see the hurt radiating from her friend. From her roommate.

"She said you weren't dangerous." She whispered harshly, eyes wet "Beca said you wouldn't' hurt anyone. But _you_ did don't' you?"

Chloe was fast, the librarian glancing narrowing her stare as she abandoned her textbook and bag, standing with a swift edge. Aubrey wanted to fight against her, and she did for the most part, the smaller woman dragging her out of the glass-paned doors and into the nearest bathroom. It reeked of antiseptic and lemon sanitizer. "Get off me! You killed him!"

"Aubrey," Chloe tried to edge her away from fear, gripping her shoulders as she pressed the woman's back against the cold tile, her fingers gripping into fabric. "I need you to stop struggling, I didn't-"

"You did." Her voice was defeated and her words breathless as he chest heaved "It's all they could talk about in my psychology class. About how everyone seemed to forget about Alex. How he vanished in the middle of the night and you-"

Her throat tightened alarmingly as she studied the deep pain of emotion written on Chloe' expression. "It's fucking _fuzzy_ but you killed him. You… you were covered in blood and Beca did something to me. I don't remember." She sobbed still in Chloe's arms as she sunk to the cold bathroom floor, the vampire moved with her. "I don't remember."

She had seen Aubrey like this once, only once.

Chloe had gone home for the holidays three years back, and so had Aubrey. She was an emergency contact and always had been, her phone ringing in the middle of the third Christmas movie. She had excused herself from home and driven in silence to the bar that had called her- the one that was three seconds away from phoning law enforcement.

Aubrey tearfully explained the departure of her father broken down to her on Christmas eve and the way everything hurt, everything. It felt like her blood had boiled and the alcohol put out the flame and if Aubrey Posen had any type of control or seminice it was gone because her whole world was gone. Chloe held her in that bar bathroom too.

"I don't think I can handle this, Chloe." Aubrey sniffed, having quieted as Chloe kept her distance, keeping one hand on the woman's knee to steady her but nothing more. She watched with sullen eyes and a quiet lipped expression. "Y-you're all I have here and you're dead."

"I'm not dead."

"Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that?" Aubrey sniffed "If all of you wasn't lost in that cemetery it was when you murdered a kid in cold blood."

She knew it was harsh, her words stinging like a whip to raw skin on her back. It would leave a gash and would sting to the touch, but it was nothing she didn't deserve. Chloe let out a long sigh and crossed her legs in front of her, facing Aubrey as her hands rested in her lap. They were quiet for a few moments, both listening to the slow drip of the facets.

"I'm never going to be the same person you helped drink out of the water fountain" She started quietly "Or the one you shoved Ryan Heady on the playground for." Aubrey blew out a breath of air at the memory and sniffed, dragging her hand against the base of her nose. "But that doesn't mean I'm gone, Aubrey. I'm not."

Aubrey didn't' say anything.

"I'm going to make mistakes, and some are going to be bigger than others. A lot bigger. But in truth? I don't know if I can do this either. Not without you."


End file.
